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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. pitch — completely
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. vault — a safe
  12. club — for dancing
  13. spring — of water
  14. club — for golf
  15. club — a group
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. spring — the season
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. wind — moving air
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. wind — moving air
  24. spring — a coil

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