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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. squash — the sport
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. scale — size or range
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. squash — to crush
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. drill — the tool
  13. mine — for digging
  14. drill — a practice
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. drill — army training
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. object — to protest
  22. object — an aim
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. scale — in music

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