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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. net — for catching
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. roll — a list
  6. spring — the season
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. net — in sport
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. pop — soda
  12. ball — a great time
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. current — electric
  15. current — of water
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. spring — of water
  18. net — after costs
  19. roll — a cake
  20. current — happening now
  21. pop — music
  22. pop — to visit
  23. ball — a dance
  24. sharp — clever

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