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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 muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. present — there
  4. court — of law
  5. fall — to drop
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. present — the time now
  8. fall — to drop
  9. track — to keep track
  10. present — a gift
  11. land — a country
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. court — of a king
  14. ground — the earth
  15. track — a song
  16. land — ground
  17. ground — crushed
  18. court — for sport
  19. ground — a position
  20. land — to come down
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. fall — the season
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. safe — out of danger

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