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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. rule — government
  4. hand — help
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. mate — to breed
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. spring — the season
  14. spring — a coil
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. mate — a partner
  17. net — for catching
  18. net — after costs
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. hand — in cards
  21. mate — a friend
  22. rule — a law
  23. net — in sport
  24. mine — for digging

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