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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. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. pitch — completely
  5. shower — to wash
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. season — in sport
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. season — of the year
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. snap — to click
  23. shower — rain
  24. temple — side of the head

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