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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. game — wild animals
  6. march — the month
  7. rush — hurry
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. snap — to click
  13. march — the month
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. bat — the animal
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. game — a match
  21. march — music
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. game — a kind of play

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