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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. game — a match
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. row — to paddle
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. fall — to drop
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. sharp — clever
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. row — a line
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. game — wild animals
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. fall — to drop
  24. fall — the season

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