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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. bat — the animal
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. spell — a short time
  7. spell — magic
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. season — of the year
  10. present — there
  11. pit — in a race
  12. present — the time now
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. pit — a hole
  20. wound — an injury
  21. season — in sport
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. spell — letters

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