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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. rock — music
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. hand — in cards
  5. snap — to click
  6. mate — a friend
  7. mate — to breed
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. mate — a partner
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. rock — a stone
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. bat — the animal
  18. hand — help
  19. rush — hurry
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. bat — in an idiom

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