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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. track — a path
  4. foot — a measure
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. cue — for pool
  10. track — a song
  11. track — to keep track
  12. stock — goods
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. bat — the animal
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. row — to paddle
  20. cue — a hint
  21. stock — shares
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. row — a line
  24. cue — a signal

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