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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. snap — to click
  6. bat — the animal
  7. board — to get on
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. board — a committee
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. roll — a list
  22. roll — a cake
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. trunk — of a tree

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