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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 120 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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  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. bat — for baseball
  2. bank — for money
  3. bear — the animal
  4. present — there
  5. bank — for money
  6. present — the time now
  7. present — a gift
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. cold — not warm
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. kick — in football
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. bank — of a river
  16. ground — crushed
  17. bat — the animal
  18. ground — the earth
  19. cold — an illness
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. bear — the animal
  23. ground — a position
  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