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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 120 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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. cell — in biology
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. tube — a container
  19. cell — a phone
  20. dip — to sink
  21. tube — the underground
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. pitcher — a jug

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