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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 116 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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. bass — the fish
  4. fall — to drop
  5. game — a match
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. pop — to visit
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. pop — soda
  13. fall — to drop
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. bass — low music
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. game — wild animals
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. fall — the season
  21. pop — music
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. plane — a tool
  24. hide — to keep secret

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