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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 116 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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  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. present — a gift
  2. bass — the fish
  3. key — for a lock
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. saw — the tool
  7. rush — hurry
  8. key — in music
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. rash — hasty
  13. key — the most important part
  14. present — the time now
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. bass — low music
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. rash — a series
  20. present — there
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. saw — the tool
  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