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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. game — wild animals
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. spell — letters
  6. suit — in cards
  7. scale — in music
  8. spell — magic
  9. pop — to visit
  10. game — a match
  11. scale — size or range
  12. pop — music
  13. mate — a partner
  14. suit — to fit
  15. suit — clothes
  16. season — of the year
  17. season — in sport
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. spell — a short time
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. mate — a friend
  22. mate — to breed
  23. pop — soda
  24. scale — for weighing

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