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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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. spring — of water
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. mine — for digging
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. swing — in golf
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. spring — a coil
  12. spring — the season
  13. sharp — clever
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. swing — music
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. swing — to play on
  22. rash — hasty
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. sharp — exactly

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