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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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  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. patient — a sick person
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. track — to keep track
  5. track — a song
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. mark — a grade
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. season — in sport
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. bat — the animal
  12. bore — to tire
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. bore — to drill
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. pitch — completely
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. mark — a trace
  19. season — of the year
  20. kick — in football
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. track — a path
  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