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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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. rule — a law
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. spell — letters
  8. spell — a short time
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. rule — government
  11. scale — in music
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. perch — the fish
  15. season — of the year
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. scale — size or range
  18. mark — a trace
  19. fork — in a road
  20. mark — a grade
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. spell — magic
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. season — in sport

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