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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 ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. bear — the animal
  4. game — a match
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. net — after costs
  7. mine — for digging
  8. cap — a lid
  9. key — the most important part
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. key — in music
  12. key — for a lock
  13. cap — of ice
  14. net — for catching
  15. bat — the animal
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. cap — a hat
  20. game — wild animals
  21. bear — the animal
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. net — in sport

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