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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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. cue — for pool
  3. firm — decided
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. land — ground
  6. firm — steady
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. land — a country
  9. band — a ring
  10. land — to come down
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. kick — in football
  13. cue — a hint
  14. cue — a signal
  15. ball — a great time
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. ball — a dance
  20. bat — the animal
  21. firm — a company
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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