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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 120 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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. fall — to drop
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. bound — certain
  5. swing — to play on
  6. bound — tied together
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. fall — the season
  12. game — a match
  13. bound — obliged
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. swing — in golf
  17. fall — to drop
  18. swing — music
  19. game — wild animals
  20. root — of a word
  21. foot — a measure
  22. root — of a plant
  23. root — the cause
  24. game — a kind of play

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