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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 116 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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. lie — to recline
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. board — to get on
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. perch — the fish
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. fine — high quality
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. board — a committee
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. bat — the animal
  24. lash — to lash out

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