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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. pound — a weight
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. snap — to click
  6. row — to paddle
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. capital — a city
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. row — a line
  17. bat — the animal
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. capital — money
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. bat — in an idiom

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