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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 120 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 hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. bulb — for light
  6. rush — hurry
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. row — a line
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. plane — a tool
  13. row — to paddle
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. net — after costs
  19. ball — a dance
  20. net — in sport
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. net — for catching
  23. ball — a great time
  24. bulb — for light

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