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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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. squash — the sport
  4. fork — in a road
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. fine — all right
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. bound — certain
  9. fine — high quality
  10. rash — hasty
  11. bound — tied together
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. land — a country
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. bound — obliged
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. land — ground
  20. squash — to crush
  21. land — to come down
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. snap — to click
  24. rash — a series

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