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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. pop — soda
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. game — a match
  8. game — wild animals
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. wind — moving air
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. pop — music
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. pop — to visit
  21. wind — moving air
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. vault — a safe
  24. game — a kind of play

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