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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  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. bowl — a football final
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. bound — obliged
  4. bound — tied together
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. land — to come down
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. bound — certain
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. chest — of your body
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. land — ground
  14. face — to point toward
  15. chest — of your body
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. chest — a box
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. face — part of the head
  22. face — to confront
  23. bowl — a dish
  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