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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. chip — for betting
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. ball — a great time
  8. shower — rain
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. staff — a stick
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. staff — employees
  14. chip — to eat
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. staff — employees
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. ball — a dance
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. pit — a hole
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. pit — in a race
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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