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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. 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. pitcher — a jug
  2. scale — in music
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. drill — a practice
  5. bore — to tire
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. scale — size or range
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. drill — army training
  13. ground — crushed
  14. kick — in football
  15. ground — a position
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. land — to come down
  19. land — ground
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. land — a country
  22. bore — to drill
  23. ground — the earth
  24. 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