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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. net — after costs
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. clip — a video
  6. clip — to cut
  7. cue — a hint
  8. file — a document
  9. club — for golf
  10. file — a line of people
  11. bass — low music
  12. club — a group
  13. net — in sport
  14. cue — a signal
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. cue — for pool
  17. bass — the fish
  18. net — for catching
  19. clip — for paper
  20. stand — to bear
  21. club — for dancing
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. file — a tool

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