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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 ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. last — final
  3. wound — an injury
  4. fine — all right
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. foot — a measure
  7. roll — a cake
  8. club — for golf
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. wound — an injury
  11. last — to go on
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. fine — high quality
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. last — finally
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. club — a group
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. roll — a list
  24. club — for dancing

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