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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. firm — a company
  14. firm — decided
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. mine — for digging
  19. firm — steady
  20. swing — to play on
  21. swing — in golf
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. swing — music
  24. fork — in a road

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