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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 120 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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. pit — in a race
  9. squash — to crush
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. shower — to wash
  13. tube — the underground
  14. pit — a hole
  15. shower — rain
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. squash — the sport
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. tube — a container
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. game — wild animals
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. game — a match

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