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

Word bank: patient · cue · tear · season · kid · mark · bat · ball

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. kid — child
  4. ball — a dance
  5. cue — a hint
  6. cue — for pool
  7. tear — from crying
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. ball — a great time
  10. kid — to tease
  11. mark — a trace
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. cue — a signal
  14. season — in sport
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. bat — the animal
  17. season — of the year
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. mark — a grade
  21. tear — to rip
  22. tear — from crying
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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