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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. swing — to play on
  3. band — a music group
  4. ground — a position
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. mug — a face
  8. mug — a cup
  9. season — in sport
  10. game — a match
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. swing — in golf
  13. mug — to rob
  14. ground — crushed
  15. season — of the year
  16. staff — employees
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. band — a ring
  19. swing — music
  20. ground — the earth
  21. staff — employees
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. staff — a stick
  24. band — a rubber band

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