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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. game — wild animals
  6. file — a document
  7. bank — of a river
  8. file — a tool
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. hand — help
  12. stand — to bear
  13. hand — in cards
  14. file — a line of people
  15. bank — for money
  16. bank — for money
  17. ground — a position
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. ground — crushed
  22. ground — the earth
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. stand — on your feet

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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