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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 transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. mine — for digging
  4. object — a thing
  5. object — an aim
  6. object — to protest
  7. mark — a trace
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. mark — a grade
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. vault — a safe
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. bat — the animal
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. date — the fruit

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