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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 116 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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. spell — letters
  3. net — after costs
  4. spell — a short time
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. firm — a company
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. hand — help
  9. net — in sport
  10. club — for golf
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. net — for catching
  15. firm — decided
  16. spell — magic
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. firm — steady
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. club — for dancing
  22. hand — in cards
  23. club — a group
  24. pitcher — a jug

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