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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. file — a document
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. bat — the animal
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. ground — a position
  9. charge — electricity
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. stock — goods
  13. charge — in control
  14. charge — a price
  15. stock — shares
  16. ground — the earth
  17. file — a tool
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. ball — a dance
  20. file — a line of people
  21. ground — crushed
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. ball — a great time

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