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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. swing — music
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. swing — in golf
  5. ball — a great time
  6. ball — a dance
  7. tube — the underground
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. staff — a stick
  10. bulb — for light
  11. sharp — clever
  12. staff — employees
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. bulb — for light
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. tube — a container
  18. swing — to play on
  19. date — the fruit
  20. staff — employees
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. patient — a sick person

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