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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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. swing — to play on
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. bulb — for light
  5. row — a line
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. rash — hasty
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. kid — to tease
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. capital — money
  16. swing — in golf
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. row — to paddle
  19. bulb — for light
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. capital — a city
  23. kid — child
  24. swing — music

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