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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. track — a song
  5. field — for sport
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. field — a subject
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. lie — to recline
  11. sharp — clever
  12. cue — for pool
  13. track — to keep track
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. cue — a hint
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. track — a path
  19. cue — a signal
  20. field — farmland
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. bat — in an idiom

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