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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. swing — music
  3. swing — to play on
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. plane — a tool
  6. charge — in control
  7. charge — electricity
  8. charge — a price
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. fine — all right
  11. ground — a position
  12. swing — in golf
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. roll — a list
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. roll — a cake
  18. band — a music group
  19. band — a ring
  20. ground — crushed
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. fine — high quality
  24. ground — the earth

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