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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 124 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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. fine — high quality
  6. swing — music
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. ball — a dance
  12. swing — in golf
  13. kid — to tease
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. rash — a series
  16. ball — a great time
  17. lie — to recline
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. swing — to play on
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. rash — hasty
  23. fine — all right
  24. kid — child

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