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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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. present — the time now
  3. game — a match
  4. ground — a position
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. can — to be able to
  7. staff — employees
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. staff — employees
  10. present — a gift
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. fork — in a road
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. game — wild animals
  15. ground — the earth
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. fall — to drop
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. ground — crushed
  20. can — a tin
  21. present — there
  22. can — a tin
  23. fall — to drop
  24. fall — the season

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