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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. firm — a company
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. tear — from crying
  8. cell — in biology
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. firm — steady
  11. tear — to rip
  12. ball — a great time
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. cell — a phone
  17. tear — from crying
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. firm — decided
  20. ball — a dance
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. racket — a loud noise

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