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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 kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. scale — in music
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. bear — the animal
  12. game — wild animals
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. land — to come down
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. game — a match
  18. scale — size or range
  19. bear — the animal
  20. land — ground
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. land — a country

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