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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. ball — a dance
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. ball — a great time
  7. staff — employees
  8. track — a path
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. staff — employees
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. snap — to click
  15. track — to keep track
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. staff — a stick
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. spring — the season
  20. spring — of water
  21. spring — a coil
  22. track — a song
  23. sharp — clever
  24. fan — a supporter

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