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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 120 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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. bear — the animal
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. chest — a box
  5. bass — low music
  6. rush — hurry
  7. game — a match
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. bass — the fish
  13. capital — money
  14. bear — the animal
  15. chest — of your body
  16. capital — a city
  17. chest — of your body
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. fork — in a road
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. bass — the instrument

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