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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. firm — a company
  3. saw — the tool
  4. mug — a cup
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. mug — a face
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. firm — decided
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. firm — steady
  11. can — to be able to
  12. land — to come down
  13. mug — to rob
  14. can — a tin
  15. saw — the tool
  16. land — a country
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. mine — for digging
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. land — ground
  22. can — a tin
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. mine — belonging to me

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