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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. season — in sport
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. ball — a dance
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. season — of the year
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. lie — to recline
  21. mine — for digging
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. ball — a great time
  24. bat — 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