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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.

Make a worksheet

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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  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. bass — low music
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. court — of law
  6. dip — to sink
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. mug — a cup
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. court — for sport
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. mug — to rob
  17. date — the fruit
  18. bass — the fish
  19. mug — a face
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. court — of a king
  23. coach — a trainer
  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