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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. saw — the tool
  5. drill — army training
  6. pit — in a race
  7. dip — to sink
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. perch — the fish
  11. drill — a practice
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. saw — the tool
  14. spring — a coil
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. spring — the season
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. spring — of water
  20. drill — the tool
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. fork — in a road
  24. perch — for a bird

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