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

Word bank: race · patient · kick · bay · lie · spring · bat · mine

  1. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. race — humankind
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. mine — for digging
  10. race — a contest
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. lie — to recline
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. spring — of water
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. race — the arms race
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. spring — the season
  22. spring — a coil
  23. bat — the animal
  24. kick — in football

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