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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've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. ground — a position
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. spell — magic
  7. cold — an illness
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. cold — not warm
  10. track — a path
  11. spell — letters
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. track — a song
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. chair — a leader
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. ground — crushed
  23. ground — the earth
  24. track — to keep track

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