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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 sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. net — in sport
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. fall — the season
  5. chip — to eat
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. fall — to drop
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. net — after costs
  12. fine — high quality
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. net — for catching
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. fall — to drop
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. chip — for betting
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. fine — all right
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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