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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. present — the time now
  3. land — to come down
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. plane — a tool
  8. court — for sport
  9. present — a gift
  10. root — of a plant
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. court — of a king
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. root — of a word
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. root — the cause
  17. court — of law
  18. land — a country
  19. season — in sport
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. present — there
  22. season — of the year
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. arm — part of the body

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