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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 120 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 information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. file — a line of people
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. cap — of ice
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. cap — a lid
  8. file — a tool
  9. net — after costs
  10. land — a country
  11. land — ground
  12. net — for catching
  13. drill — a practice
  14. drill — the tool
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. drill — army training
  18. chip — to eat
  19. chip — for betting
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. net — in sport
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. land — to come down
  24. cap — a hat

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