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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 ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. charge — a price
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. charge — electricity
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. row — to paddle
  12. wound — an injury
  13. rush — hurry
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. stock — shares
  16. bat — the animal
  17. charge — in control
  18. row — a line
  19. wound — an injury
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. wind — moving air
  23. wind — moving air
  24. stock — goods

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