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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 hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. kid — child
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. bass — the fish
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. kid — to tease
  13. bass — low music
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. chip — for betting
  18. shower — to wash
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. shower — rain
  22. pitch — completely
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. chip — to eat

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