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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 kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. season — of the year
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. cap — a lid
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. cap — of ice
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. ball — a dance
  10. cap — a hat
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. lie — to recline
  17. clip — to cut
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. clip — for paper
  20. bat — the animal
  21. season — in sport
  22. ball — a great time
  23. clip — a video
  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