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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. court — of a king
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. stem — to come from
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. court — of law
  13. bat — the animal
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. season — of the year
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. court — for sport
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. season — in sport

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