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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 124 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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. rash — a series
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. saw — the tool
  6. mine — for digging
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. object — a thing
  9. tear — from crying
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. saw — the tool
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. object — to protest
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. tear — from crying
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. tear — to rip
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. rash — hasty

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