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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. bat — the animal
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. spell — magic
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. pitch — completely
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. stem — to come from
  11. row — to paddle
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. row — a line
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. ground — a position
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. ground — the earth
  23. spell — letters
  24. ground — crushed

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