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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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  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 — the animal
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. band — a music group
  8. net — after costs
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. pitch — completely
  13. band — a ring
  14. mark — a grade
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. mark — a trace
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. net — in sport
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. net — for catching
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  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