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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 116 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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. hand — help
  3. fall — to drop
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. cap — a hat
  9. cap — of ice
  10. bear — the animal
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. mark — a trace
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. mark — a grade
  17. mine — for digging
  18. fall — to drop
  19. fall — the season
  20. bear — the animal
  21. cap — a lid
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. hand — in cards
  24. mark — to pay attention

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