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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. tear — from crying
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. mate — a friend
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. sharp — clever
  7. squash — to crush
  8. chair — a leader
  9. squash — the sport
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. current — electric
  15. current — of water
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. current — happening now
  18. tear — to rip
  19. tear — from crying
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. mate — a partner
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. mate — to breed
  24. sharp — with an edge

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