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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 120 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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. court — of a king
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. chip — to eat
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. court — for sport
  8. cold — not warm
  9. hand — in cards
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. mug — a face
  12. mug — to rob
  13. hand — help
  14. mug — a cup
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. mine — for digging
  20. cold — an illness
  21. court — of law
  22. chip — for betting
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. mine — belonging to me

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