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

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. drill — a practice
  3. face — to point toward
  4. drill — the tool
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. face — to confront
  9. pit — a hole
  10. dip — to sink
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. face — part of the head
  13. kick — in football
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. drill — army training
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. pit — in a race

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