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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. snap — to click
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. net — in sport
  9. mug — to rob
  10. swing — in golf
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. mug — a cup
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. net — after costs
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. swing — music
  21. mug — a face
  22. net — for catching
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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