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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. saw — the tool
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. present — there
  13. present — a gift
  14. saw — the tool
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. season — of the year
  19. present — the time now
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. season — in sport
  23. chip — for betting
  24. chip — to eat

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