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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 116 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 little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. land — a country
  3. present — there
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. last — final
  6. bear — the animal
  7. saw — the tool
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. last — to go on
  10. land — ground
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. saw — the tool
  13. land — to come down
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. present — the time now
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. capital — money
  22. last — finally
  23. present — a gift
  24. capital — a city

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