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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 assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. object — an aim
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. fine — high quality
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. object — a thing
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. object — to protest
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. mine — for digging
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. safe — out of danger

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