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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 120 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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. fork — in a road
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. scale — size or range
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. game — wild animals
  10. game — a match
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. stock — shares
  13. pit — in a race
  14. net — for catching
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. net — after costs
  18. pit — a hole
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. scale — in music
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. stock — goods
  24. net — in sport

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