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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. drill — the tool
  4. wind — moving air
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. land — a country
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. rest — what's left
  9. wind — moving air
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. land — to come down
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. drill — army training
  16. rest — a break
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. land — ground
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. stock — goods
  21. stock — shares
  22. lie — to recline
  23. drill — a practice
  24. patient — a sick person

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