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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. sharp — clever
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. squash — to crush
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. root — of a word
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. bark — to shout
  16. root — the cause
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. root — of a plant
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. squash — the sport
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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