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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 120 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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. fine — all right
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. fine — high quality
  5. mark — a trace
  6. dip — to sink
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. bore — to tire
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. pop — music
  15. mark — a grade
  16. pop — to visit
  17. pop — soda
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. bore — to drill
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. bat — for baseball

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