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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. hand — help
  3. saw — the tool
  4. ball — a dance
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. file — a line of people
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. file — a tool
  13. game — wild animals
  14. game — a match
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. hand — in cards
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. ball — a great time
  21. file — a document
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. saw — the tool
  24. game — a kind of play

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