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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. season — in sport
  3. root — the cause
  4. ball — a great time
  5. ball — a dance
  6. land — a country
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. fine — high quality
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. bore — to drill
  17. root — of a plant
  18. land — to come down
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. bore — to tire
  21. season — of the year
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. root — of a word
  24. fine — all right

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