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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. cap — of ice
  5. spell — a short time
  6. land — a country
  7. spell — magic
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. scale — in music
  11. cap — a lid
  12. spell — letters
  13. land — to come down
  14. cap — a hat
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. present — the time now
  18. present — there
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. scale — size or range
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. present — a gift
  24. land — ground

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