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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. shower — to wash
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. season — in sport
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. spell — a short time
  16. mine — for digging
  17. spell — magic
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. bear — the animal
  20. spell — letters
  21. bear — the animal
  22. season — of the year
  23. shower — rain
  24. bowl — to roll

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