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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 120 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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. mine — for digging
  7. cap — a lid
  8. bore — to drill
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. sharp — clever
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. net — after costs
  15. bear — the animal
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. cap — a hat
  19. bore — to tire
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. net — for catching
  22. cap — of ice
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. bore — gave birth

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