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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 haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. rush — hurry
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. craft — a skill
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. swing — music
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. stock — goods
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. swing — to play on
  15. stock — shares
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. swing — in golf
  21. craft — boats
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. patient — a sick person

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