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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. cell — in biology
  4. root — the cause
  5. track — a song
  6. present — there
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. track — to keep track
  9. game — wild animals
  10. game — a match
  11. present — a gift
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. root — of a plant
  14. mine — for digging
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. cell — a phone
  20. root — of a word
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. track — a path
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. present — the time now

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