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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. present — there
  3. kick — in football
  4. season — in sport
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. land — ground
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. season — of the year
  11. land — a country
  12. craft — a skill
  13. hand — help
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. land — to come down
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. craft — boats
  23. present — a gift
  24. present — the time now

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