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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. wound — an injury
  3. land — ground
  4. kid — to tease
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. pass — a permit
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. wound — an injury
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. land — a country
  14. object — a thing
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. object — an aim
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. object — to protest
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. scale — in music
  22. kid — child
  23. land — to come down
  24. pass — to succeed

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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