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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 polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. mate — a partner
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. cap — a hat
  7. bat — the animal
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. dip — to sink
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. swing — to play on
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. tube — a container
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. tube — the underground
  19. mate — a friend
  20. cap — a lid
  21. swing — in golf
  22. mate — to breed
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. swing — music

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