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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. land — a country
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. hand — help
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. ball — a great time
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. hand — in cards
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. land — ground
  21. wake — a trail
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. ball — a dance
  24. ball — a round shape

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