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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. land — a country
  3. drill — a practice
  4. land — ground
  5. last — to go on
  6. band — a music group
  7. band — a ring
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. drill — army training
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. drill — the tool
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. bat — the animal
  15. last — finally
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. land — to come down
  21. last — final
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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