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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. net — after costs
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. bat — the animal
  9. bear — the animal
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. net — for catching
  15. bear — the animal
  16. rush — hurry
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. mine — for digging
  20. tube — the underground
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. tube — a container

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