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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. land — a country
  3. land — to come down
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. mark — a trace
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. rash — a series
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. snap — to click
  16. mark — a grade
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. swing — to play on
  19. swing — music
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. land — ground
  24. swing — in golf

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