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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. bat — the animal
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. mark — a trace
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. charge — a price
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. staff — a stick
  10. charge — in control
  11. prune — to trim
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. staff — employees
  14. sharp — clever
  15. mark — a grade
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. prune — to trim
  19. charge — electricity
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. staff — employees
  24. fan — a supporter

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