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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 120 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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. net — for catching
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. spring — the season
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. net — in sport
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. spring — of water
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. saw — the tool
  15. spring — a coil
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. sharp — clever
  19. saw — the tool
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. net — after costs
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. rock — a stone
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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