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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. bear — the animal
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. race — a contest
  6. bat — the animal
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. sharp — clever
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. race — humankind
  12. ball — a great time
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. ball — a dance
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. race — the arms race
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. bear — the animal

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