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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. chest — of your body
  3. ball — a dance
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. chest — a box
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. current — of water
  11. plane — a tool
  12. current — electric
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. ball — a great time
  15. mug — a face
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. mug — to rob
  18. mug — a cup
  19. saw — the tool
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. chest — of your body
  22. current — happening now
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. plane — in geometry

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