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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. band — a music group
  4. band — a ring
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. key — in music
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. pitch — completely
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. sharp — clever
  15. key — the most important part
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. stock — goods
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. bat — the animal
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. stock — shares
  23. key — for a lock
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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