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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: racket · chip · bay · fine · spring · fall · rule · patient

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. rule — government
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. rule — a law
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. fall — the season
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. chip — to eat
  14. fall — to drop
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. spring — of water
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. chip — for betting
  19. spring — a coil
  20. fine — all right
  21. fall — to drop
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. spring — the season

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