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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. season — of the year
  3. file — a document
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. season — in sport
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. present — the time now
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. mine — for digging
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. file — a tool
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. present — a gift
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. chip — for betting
  22. present — there
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. chip — to eat

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