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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. charge — a price
  6. cap — a lid
  7. charge — electricity
  8. clip — a video
  9. pop — to visit
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. cap — a hat
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. clip — for paper
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. charge — in control
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. pop — music
  20. pop — soda
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. cap — of ice
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. clip — to cut

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