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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. mate — a friend
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. race — the arms race
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. wound — an injury
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. foot — a measure
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. perch — the fish
  18. wound — an injury
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. race — humankind
  22. mate — to breed
  23. race — a contest
  24. mate — a partner

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