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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. rest — what's left
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. game — a match
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. stem — to come from
  10. rest — what's left
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. sharp — clever
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. bass — the fish
  17. rash — hasty
  18. rest — a break
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. rash — a series
  22. game — wild animals
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. rash — on the skin

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