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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. game — wild animals
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. pit — a hole
  14. pit — in a race
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. branch — a division
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. game — a match
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. ball — a dance
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. mine — for digging
  24. ball — a great time

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