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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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  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. patient — a sick person
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. can — to be able to
  4. kid — to tease
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. kid — child
  7. mug — to rob
  8. last — finally
  9. prune — to trim
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. mug — a cup
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. mug — a face
  16. last — final
  17. fine — high quality
  18. last — to go on
  19. can — a tin
  20. can — a tin
  21. prune — to trim
  22. fine — all right
  23. bat — in an idiom
  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