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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 coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. rush — hurry
  3. swing — to play on
  4. rest — a break
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. rest — what's left
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. swing — music
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. net — after costs
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. fall — to drop
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. fall — to drop
  16. rest — what's left
  17. net — for catching
  18. fork — in a road
  19. stock — shares
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. net — in sport
  22. stock — goods
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. fall — the season

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