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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 120 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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. chest — a box
  5. saw — the tool
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. chest — of your body
  10. pit — in a race
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. pit — a hole
  13. chest — of your body
  14. saw — the tool
  15. drill — army training
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. drill — the tool

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