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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. cell — a phone
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. spell — letters
  12. track — to keep track
  13. spell — a short time
  14. spell — magic
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. track — a path
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. track — a song
  21. rush — hurry
  22. cell — in biology
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. nail — on a finger

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