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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: pitcher · squash · rock · bat · patient · ground · cap · ruler

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. rock — music
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. squash — to crush
  5. rock — a stone
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. cap — a lid
  10. ground — crushed
  11. cap — of ice
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. squash — the sport
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. cap — a hat
  16. ground — a position
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. bat — the animal
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. ground — the earth
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. patient — a sick person

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