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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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. bat — in an idiom
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. bat — the animal
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. ground — crushed
  8. ground — a position
  9. rock — a stone
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. ground — the earth
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. sharp — clever
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. rock — music

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