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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. ground — a position
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. fall — the season
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. charge — a price
  8. ground — crushed
  9. spring — a coil
  10. kid — to tease
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. fall — to drop
  13. fall — to drop
  14. charge — electricity
  15. ground — the earth
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. spring — of water
  18. pitch — completely
  19. charge — in control
  20. kid — child
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. patient — a sick person

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