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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: fine · bat · spring · track · safe · patient · swing · row

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. track — to keep track
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. track — a path
  5. fine — high quality
  6. track — a song
  7. swing — to play on
  8. swing — in golf
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. row — a line
  13. row — to paddle
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. spring — the season
  17. spring — of water
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. spring — a coil
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. bat — the animal
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. swing — music

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