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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. scale — in music
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. toast — bread
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. hand — help
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. cap — a hat
  10. suit — to fit
  11. cap — of ice
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. cap — a lid
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. stock — goods
  17. scale — size or range
  18. hand — in cards
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. stock — shares
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. suit — clothes
  24. hand — part of the body

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