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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. ball — a dance
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. shower — rain
  9. cell — a phone
  10. rock — music
  11. shower — to wash
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. rush — hurry
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. ball — a great time
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. bat — the animal
  23. cell — in biology
  24. patient — a sick person

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