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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 stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. swing — in golf
  4. bass — the fish
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. rest — a break
  7. bass — low music
  8. swing — music
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. spring — a coil
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. rest — what's left
  13. swing — to play on
  14. deal — to handle
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. spring — of water
  19. spring — the season
  20. rest — what's left
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. bat — the animal

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