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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. land — a country
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. net — in sport
  12. land — to come down
  13. net — after costs
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. vault — a safe
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. net — for catching
  21. land — ground
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. coach — a trainer

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