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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. firm — steady
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. ball — a dance
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. firm — decided
  8. present — the time now
  9. ball — a great time
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. mine — for digging
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. saw — the tool
  15. fork — in a road
  16. present — there
  17. firm — a company
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. saw — the tool
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. jam — a tight spot

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