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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. scale — in music
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. fall — to drop
  8. squash — to crush
  9. fall — the season
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. fork — in a road
  12. saw — the tool
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. fall — to drop
  16. saw — the tool
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. foot — a measure
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. scale — size or range
  24. fork — to eat with

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