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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. ball — a dance
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. bat — the animal
  6. pitch — completely
  7. saw — the tool
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. root — of a word
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. ball — a great time
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. saw — the tool
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. root — the cause
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. root — of a plant

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