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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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. land — to come down
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. ball — a great time
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. fall — to drop
  10. fine — all right
  11. pitch — completely
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. land — a country
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. fine — high quality
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. fall — the season
  20. land — ground
  21. fall — to drop
  22. kick — in football
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. ball — a dance

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