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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. mark — a trace
  6. face — part of the head
  7. land — to come down
  8. club — a group
  9. land — a country
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. net — for catching
  12. net — after costs
  13. land — ground
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. face — to point toward
  16. face — to confront
  17. mark — a grade
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. net — in sport
  23. mine — for digging
  24. club — for golf

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