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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. net — after costs
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. file — a document
  7. bass — the fish
  8. bass — low music
  9. charge — a price
  10. game — wild animals
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. file — a line of people
  15. charge — in control
  16. lean — thin
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. game — a match
  19. net — for catching
  20. charge — electricity
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. file — a tool
  23. lean — to bend
  24. lean — to rest against

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