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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. chest — a box
  5. swing — music
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. fine — all right
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. chest — of your body
  10. lean — to bend
  11. swing — in golf
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. fine — high quality
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. ground — the earth
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. chest — of your body
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. ground — a position
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. lean — thin
  23. swing — to play on
  24. ground — crushed

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