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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. swing — to play on
  6. swing — in golf
  7. mate — to breed
  8. swing — music
  9. ground — a position
  10. ground — the earth
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. wind — moving air
  14. mate — a friend
  15. wind — moving air
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. mate — a partner
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. pound — a weight
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. patient — a sick person

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