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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. mark — a trace
  4. net — for catching
  5. cell — in biology
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. mark — a grade
  8. net — in sport
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. hand — in cards
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. net — after costs
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. hand — help
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. cell — a phone
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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