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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. wind — moving air
  4. rest — what's left
  5. mine — for digging
  6. rest — a break
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. wind — moving air
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. spring — a coil
  13. pop — music
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. rest — what's left
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. spring — the season
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. spring — of water
  22. pop — soda
  23. pop — to visit
  24. mine — belonging to me

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