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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 ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. club — for golf
  3. stock — shares
  4. cold — not warm
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. cold — an illness
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. fine — high quality
  12. stock — goods
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. ball — a dance
  17. club — a group
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. club — for dancing
  23. fine — all right
  24. ball — a great time

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