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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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. land — ground
  7. mug — to rob
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. wound — an injury
  10. bat — the animal
  11. land — to come down
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. kick — in football
  19. mug — a face
  20. mug — a cup
  21. land — a country
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. wound — an injury
  24. kick — a thrill

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