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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. roll — a cake
  7. bat — the animal
  8. swing — in golf
  9. rest — what's left
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. rest — a break
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. rest — what's left
  19. swing — to play on
  20. swing — music
  21. row — to paddle
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. roll — a list
  24. row — a line

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