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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. land — a country
  3. prune — to trim
  4. pop — soda
  5. pop — to visit
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. prune — to trim
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. deal — to handle
  12. chest — of your body
  13. suit — in cards
  14. suit — to fit
  15. land — ground
  16. chest — a box
  17. land — to come down
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. chest — of your body
  21. pop — music
  22. suit — clothes
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. bat — for baseball

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