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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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. mate — a friend
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. field — a subject
  11. mate — to breed
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. field — for sport
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. mate — a partner
  16. field — farmland
  17. bear — the animal
  18. vault — a safe
  19. bear — the animal
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. squash — the sport
  22. squash — to crush
  23. wake — a trail
  24. bear — to put up with

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