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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. tube — the underground
  4. band — a music group
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. tube — a container
  7. drill — the tool
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. firm — steady
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. season — of the year
  15. band — a ring
  16. firm — a company
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. drill — a practice
  21. drill — army training
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. season — in sport

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