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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. bear — the animal
  4. kid — child
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. staff — employees
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. staff — a stick
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. wound — an injury
  15. bear — the animal
  16. date — the fruit
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. bat — the animal
  20. staff — employees
  21. kid — to tease
  22. wound — an injury
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. safe — out of danger

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