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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. shower — rain
  3. pitch — completely
  4. track — to keep track
  5. track — a song
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. track — a path
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. land — to come down
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. prune — to trim
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. land — ground
  14. prune — to trim
  15. staff — employees
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. staff — employees
  18. kid — child
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. land — a country
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. shower — to wash
  24. kid — to tease

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