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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. kid — child
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. march — the month
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. fine — all right
  10. snap — to click
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. fine — high quality
  15. march — the month
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. degree — an amount
  18. kid — to tease
  19. degree — from a university
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. march — music
  23. lie — to recline
  24. degree — temperature

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