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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 120 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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. land — to come down
  5. land — a country
  6. stock — goods
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. file — a tool
  9. swing — to play on
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bulb — for light
  12. land — ground
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. file — a document
  15. swing — in golf
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. swing — music
  19. file — a line of people
  20. stock — shares
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. chair — a leader
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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