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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. sharp — clever
  3. bank — for money
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. mate — a partner
  6. ball — a great time
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. ball — a dance
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. kid — child
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. kid — to tease
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. row — to paddle
  16. mate — to breed
  17. bat — the animal
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. bank — of a river
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. mate — a friend
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. bank — for money

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