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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. net — in sport
  3. mark — a trace
  4. net — for catching
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. cold — not warm
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. craft — a skill
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. mark — a grade
  12. sharp — clever
  13. cold — an illness
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. craft — boats
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. net — after costs
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. kick — in football
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. racket — a loud noise

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