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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. kick — in football
  4. wind — moving air
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. craft — boats
  10. craft — a skill
  11. rule — a law
  12. net — in sport
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. wind — moving air
  17. rule — government
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. rock — a stone
  21. net — after costs
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. net — for catching
  24. coach — a trainer

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