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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 116 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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. scale — in music
  3. shower — to wash
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. bear — the animal
  9. scale — size or range
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. swing — in golf
  12. swing — to play on
  13. track — to keep track
  14. snap — to click
  15. bear — the animal
  16. shower — rain
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. track — a path
  21. swing — music
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. track — a song

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