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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. spell — magic
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. game — a match
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. present — there
  8. deal — to handle
  9. spell — a short time
  10. stock — goods
  11. game — wild animals
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. spell — letters
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. mine — for digging
  21. present — a gift
  22. present — the time now
  23. stock — shares
  24. wave — of the sea

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