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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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. row — to paddle
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. fine — high quality
  7. row — a line
  8. bat — the animal
  9. ball — a great time
  10. shower — to wash
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. bore — to tire
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. bore — to drill
  23. shower — rain
  24. fine — all right

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