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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 kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. shower — to wash
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. net — in sport
  7. firm — a company
  8. current — electric
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. date — the fruit
  11. shower — rain
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. scale — in music
  14. firm — decided
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. net — for catching
  17. current — happening now
  18. firm — steady
  19. ball — a great time
  20. net — after costs
  21. ball — a dance
  22. scale — size or range
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. current — of water

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