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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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  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. rash — a series
  2. wind — moving air
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. season — of the year
  10. wind — moving air
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. mark — a trace
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. rash — hasty
  21. season — in sport
  22. sharp — clever
  23. mark — a grade
  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