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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. rash — hasty
  5. stand — to bear
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. swing — in golf
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. swing — music
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. wound — an injury
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. wound — an injury
  17. stock — shares
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. stock — goods
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. swing — to play on
  22. bat — the animal
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. rash — a series

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