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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. pop — soda
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. pop — to visit
  6. mug — a face
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. pit — a hole
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. row — a line
  12. pop — music
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. pit — in a race
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. scale — in music
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. scale — size or range
  20. vault — a safe
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. row — to paddle
  23. mug — to rob
  24. mug — a cup

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