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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. club — a group
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. spell — magic
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. rock — a stone
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. spell — a short time
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. kid — child
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. club — for golf
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. rock — music
  20. spell — letters
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. club — for dancing

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