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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 116 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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. ground — the earth
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. fine — all right
  6. club — for golf
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. land — ground
  9. fall — the season
  10. club — for dancing
  11. fork — in a road
  12. fall — to drop
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. land — to come down
  16. fall — to drop
  17. stock — shares
  18. club — a group
  19. land — a country
  20. stock — goods
  21. ground — crushed
  22. ground — a position
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. fine — high quality

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