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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. pitch — completely
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. tear — to rip
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. bound — obliged
  7. tear — from crying
  8. snap — to click
  9. tear — from crying
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. bound — certain
  13. bound — tied together
  14. bass — low music
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. bass — the fish
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. patient — a sick person

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