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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. file — a tool
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. file — a document
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. key — the most important part
  7. key — in music
  8. pop — soda
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. kid — child
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. saw — the tool
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. kid — to tease
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. file — a line of people
  17. pop — to visit
  18. pop — music
  19. kick — in football
  20. saw — the tool
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. key — for a lock

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