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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 120 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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. foot — a measure
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. spell — letters
  5. swing — in golf
  6. bass — the fish
  7. swing — to play on
  8. spell — a short time
  9. bear — the animal
  10. bass — low music
  11. kid — child
  12. court — of law
  13. court — of a king
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. bear — the animal
  16. court — for sport
  17. spell — magic
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. swing — music
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. kid — to tease
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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