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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. scale — in music
  3. chip — to eat
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. pass — a permit
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. ball — a great time
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. ball — a dance
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. perch — the fish
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. bark — to shout
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. chip — for betting
  21. scale — size or range
  22. rush — hurry
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. chip — in a computer

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