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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. ball — a dance
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. ball — a great time
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. stand — to bear
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wound — an injury
  12. chest — of your body
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. toast — bread
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. chest — a box
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. mark — a grade
  23. chest — of your body
  24. mark — a trace

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