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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. squash — to crush
  3. spring — a coil
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. spring — of water
  6. present — the time now
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. present — a gift
  9. snap — to click
  10. swing — to play on
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. spring — the season
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. swing — in golf
  16. squash — the sport
  17. swing — music
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. present — there
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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