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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 ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. wind — moving air
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. ground — the earth
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. fine — high quality
  15. hand — in cards
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. ground — a position
  18. hand — help
  19. wind — moving air
  20. game — wild animals
  21. fine — all right
  22. ground — crushed
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. game — a match

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