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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. mine — for digging
  4. bass — the fish
  5. kid — to tease
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. bass — low music
  9. pit — in a race
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. bank — of a river
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. kid — child
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. pit — a hole
  21. bat — the animal
  22. bank — for money
  23. bank — for money
  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