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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: bat · cap · kid · bay · press · patient · safe · racket

  1. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. press — to push
  3. kid — to tease
  4. press — a publisher
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. bat — the animal
  7. cap — a hat
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. cap — a lid
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. kid — child
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. press — newspapers
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. cap — of ice
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. racket — a loud noise

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