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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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. game — a match
  7. squash — the sport
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. squash — to crush
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. mark — a trace
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. spell — letters
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. spell — magic
  20. spell — a short time
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. mark — a grade
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. game — wild animals

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