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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. row — a line
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. bat — the animal
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. pitch — completely
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. shower — to wash
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. shower — rain
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. row — to paddle
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. patient — a sick person

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