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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 116 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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. spring — of water
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. bass — the fish
  6. mark — a trace
  7. wake — a trail
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. spring — the season
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. sharp — clever
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. kick — in football
  16. fine — high quality
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. bass — low music
  20. fine — all right
  21. mark — a grade
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. fine — a penalty

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