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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. club — for dancing
  3. rush — hurry
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. ground — crushed
  10. tube — the underground
  11. lean — to bend
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. rock — music
  15. ground — a position
  16. lean — thin
  17. ground — the earth
  18. tube — a container
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. ball — a great time
  21. rock — a stone
  22. club — for golf
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. club — a group

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