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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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. pop — soda
  3. swing — to play on
  4. plane — a tool
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. swing — in golf
  11. content — happy
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. cold — an illness
  14. pop — music
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. pop — to visit
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. content — the amount
  19. swing — music
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. bass — low music
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. cold — not warm
  24. bass — the fish

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