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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. net — in sport
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. scale — in music
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. cue — for pool
  10. club — for dancing
  11. cue — a hint
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. game — a match
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. net — for catching
  16. scale — size or range
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. game — wild animals
  19. net — after costs
  20. cue — a signal
  21. club — for golf
  22. bark — to shout
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. patient — a sick person

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