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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. shower — rain
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. key — for a lock
  5. charge — electricity
  6. lie — to recline
  7. chair — a leader
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. key — the most important part
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. drill — a practice
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. charge — a price
  15. charge — in control
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. drill — army training
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. key — in music
  24. shower — to wash

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