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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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. pop — to visit
  3. bear — the animal
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. scale — size or range
  7. sharp — clever
  8. bear — the animal
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. pop — soda
  13. rash — hasty
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. pop — music
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. rash — a series
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. scale — in music

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