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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 124 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 met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. lean — thin
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. swing — in golf
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. lean — to bend
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. swing — to play on
  14. craft — a skill
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. craft — boats
  18. mine — for digging
  19. shower — rain
  20. bat — the animal
  21. swing — music
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. shower — to wash
  24. craft — a handicraft

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