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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. game — wild animals
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. staff — employees
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. foot — a measure
  7. last — final
  8. staff — employees
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. swing — in golf
  14. swing — music
  15. bat — the animal
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. swing — to play on
  21. staff — a stick
  22. last — to go on
  23. game — a match
  24. last — finally

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