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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. chip — for betting
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. court — of a king
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. rest — a break
  8. bat — the animal
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. rest — what's left
  12. cold — an illness
  13. rest — what's left
  14. court — for sport
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. court — of law
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. cold — not warm
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. chip — to eat
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. mouse — for a computer

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