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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 soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. mark — a trace
  3. net — in sport
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. rest — what's left
  6. net — for catching
  7. spell — magic
  8. bass — the fish
  9. net — after costs
  10. spell — letters
  11. drill — a practice
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. rest — a break
  14. rest — what's left
  15. drill — the tool
  16. bass — low music
  17. mark — a grade
  18. spell — a short time
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. bat — the animal
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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