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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. ball — a dance
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. bat — the animal
  5. bore — to drill
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. mark — a grade
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. ball — a great time
  18. bore — to tire
  19. mark — a trace
  20. pound — a weight
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. pound — for dogs

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