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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 124 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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. bear — the animal
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. land — to come down
  9. press — newspapers
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. rule — government
  12. land — a country
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. press — to push
  15. rule — a law
  16. land — ground
  17. perch — the fish
  18. press — a publisher
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. sharp — clever
  24. bear — the animal

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