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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. net — in sport
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. net — after costs
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. wake — a trail
  12. present — a gift
  13. net — for catching
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. present — the time now
  16. kick — in football
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. scale — in music
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. scale — size or range
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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