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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. kick — in football
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. vault — a safe
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. sharp — clever
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. scale — size or range
  18. bass — low music
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. bass — the fish
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. scale — in music
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. scale — for weighing

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