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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. swing — to play on
  5. season — in sport
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. stock — goods
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. season — of the year
  15. hand — help
  16. swing — music
  17. row — a line
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. swing — in golf
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. hand — in cards
  22. row — to paddle
  23. stock — shares
  24. wave — with your hand

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