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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. land — ground
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. dip — to sink
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. net — in sport
  7. rule — government
  8. net — for catching
  9. net — after costs
  10. fine — all right
  11. fine — high quality
  12. land — a country
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. land — to come down
  15. rash — hasty
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. rule — a law
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. rash — a series
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. straw — dry grass

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com