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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. scale — size or range
  5. hand — in cards
  6. hand — help
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. mark — a trace
  10. tear — from crying
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. scale — in music
  13. tear — to rip
  14. mark — a grade
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. fine — high quality
  18. cue — a hint
  19. cue — a signal
  20. tear — from crying
  21. cue — for pool
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. wind — moving air
  24. mark — to pay attention

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