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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. net — after costs
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. net — in sport
  7. march — the month
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. net — for catching
  10. bat — the animal
  11. spell — letters
  12. spell — a short time
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. band — a ring
  15. mark — a grade
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. pitch — completely
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. mark — a trace
  20. spell — magic
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. march — the month
  23. band — a music group
  24. march — 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