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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: ball · bowl · rash · kid · bay · stick · tear · patient

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. rash — hasty
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. tear — from crying
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. kid — child
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. tear — to rip
  14. tear — from crying
  15. ball — a great time
  16. ball — a dance
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. kid — to tease
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. rash — a series
  24. bowl — to roll

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