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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. pop — music
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. wound — an injury
  7. stock — shares
  8. pop — to visit
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. cap — of ice
  13. rush — hurry
  14. cap — a hat
  15. stock — goods
  16. wound — an injury
  17. pop — soda
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. cap — a lid
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. lean — thin
  24. lean — to bend

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