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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. content — happy
  4. suit — in cards
  5. suit — to fit
  6. swing — music
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. wound — an injury
  9. row — a line
  10. row — to paddle
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. scale — in music
  13. scale — size or range
  14. content — the amount
  15. bass — low music
  16. bass — the fish
  17. swing — in golf
  18. swing — to play on
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. wound — an injury
  23. suit — clothes
  24. bass — the instrument

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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