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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. stock — shares
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. swing — to play on
  5. swing — music
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. sharp — clever
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. prune — to trim
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. cap — a hat
  17. stock — goods
  18. swing — in golf
  19. prune — to trim
  20. cap — a lid
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. cap — of ice

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