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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 120 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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. mark — a trace
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. stock — shares
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. mark — a grade
  8. shower — to wash
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. tube — the underground
  13. stock — goods
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. tube — a container
  16. rush — hurry
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. shower — rain
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. patient — a sick person

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