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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 120 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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. pit — a hole
  8. capital — money
  9. mark — a grade
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. hand — help
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. pit — in a race
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. vault — a safe
  18. capital — a city
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. rush — hurry
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. hand — in cards
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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