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

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. scale — size or range
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. scale — in music
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. pit — in a race
  14. clip — for paper
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. fork — in a road
  17. clip — a video
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. clip — to cut
  23. pit — a hole
  24. mine — for digging

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