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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 kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. roll — a list
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. bass — the fish
  5. game — a match
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. kid — to tease
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. ball — a great time
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. bass — low music
  16. wind — moving air
  17. kid — child
  18. wind — moving air
  19. roll — a cake
  20. prune — to trim
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. prune — to trim
  23. game — wild animals
  24. ball — a dance

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