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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 116 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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. chip — for betting
  3. wound — an injury
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. firm — steady
  7. firm — a company
  8. game — a match
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. game — wild animals
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. kick — in football
  16. firm — decided
  17. chip — to eat
  18. rush — hurry
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. wound — an injury
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. racket — for tennis

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