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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. land — a country
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. mate — to breed
  6. shower — rain
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. land — to come down
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. shower — to wash
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. scale — in music
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. mate — a friend
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. land — ground
  24. mate — a partner

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