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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. saw — the tool
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. saw — the tool
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. dip — to sink
  7. court — of a king
  8. clip — a video
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. roll — a list
  11. court — for sport
  12. clip — to cut
  13. clip — for paper
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. current — happening now
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. court — of law
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. current — of water
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. roll — a cake
  24. current — electric

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