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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. bore — to tire
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. row — a line
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. bat — the animal
  11. mug — a cup
  12. mug — a face
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. row — to paddle
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. bore — to drill
  21. mug — to rob
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. wake — a trail

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