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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 120 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 kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. mug — to rob
  4. mug — a cup
  5. ball — a dance
  6. chest — of your body
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. hand — help
  9. wake — a trail
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. fork — in a road
  13. ball — a great time
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. rush — hurry
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. mug — a face
  21. hand — in cards
  22. chest — of your body
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. chest — a box

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