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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. key — the most important part
  5. key — for a lock
  6. key — in music
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. rock — music
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. rock — a stone
  11. squash — the sport
  12. cap — a lid
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. cap — of ice
  15. cap — a hat
  16. squash — to crush
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. rash — hasty
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. rash — a series

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