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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. spell — magic
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. spell — a short time
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. fine — high quality
  9. scale — in music
  10. scale — size or range
  11. fine — all right
  12. spell — letters
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. wound — an injury
  15. bulb — for light
  16. lie — to recline
  17. chip — for betting
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. bulb — for light
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. wound — an injury
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. chip — to eat

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