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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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. pit — a hole
  3. ground — crushed
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. chair — a leader
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. dip — to sink
  13. wound — an injury
  14. ground — the earth
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. ground — a position
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. face — to confront
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. pit — in a race
  22. face — to point toward
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. face — part of the head

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