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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 kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. can — a tin
  8. bear — the animal
  9. field — a subject
  10. net — in sport
  11. scale — size or range
  12. field — farmland
  13. net — after costs
  14. bear — the animal
  15. can — a tin
  16. can — to be able to
  17. rule — government
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. net — for catching
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. scale — in music
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. field — for sport
  24. rule — a law

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