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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 get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. mark — a trace
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. kick — in football
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. mark — a grade
  9. last — to go on
  10. spring — a coil
  11. last — final
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. spring — the season
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. foot — a measure
  21. spring — of water
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. last — finally
  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