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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. wound — an injury
  10. last — final
  11. mine — for digging
  12. last — to go on
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. last — finally
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. bat — the animal
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. mouse — the animal

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