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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 120 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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. swing — to play on
  6. rule — government
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. season — in sport
  10. rock — music
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. saw — the tool
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. rule — a law
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. saw — the tool
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. swing — in golf
  21. fork — in a road
  22. rock — a stone
  23. season — of the year
  24. swing — music

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