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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. mate — a partner
  5. wound — an injury
  6. mate — to breed
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. rush — hurry
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. mark — a trace
  11. clip — a video
  12. land — to come down
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. land — ground
  18. mate — a friend
  19. clip — to cut
  20. mark — a grade
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. clip — for paper

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