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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. spring — of water
  3. spring — a coil
  4. fine — all right
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. lie — to recline
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. shower — to wash
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. deal — to handle
  18. shower — rain
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. spring — the season
  21. fine — high quality
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. bat — the animal

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