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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. ground — crushed
  3. mug — to rob
  4. face — part of the head
  5. clip — for paper
  6. mug — a face
  7. drill — army training
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. clip — to cut
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. drill — a practice
  12. ground — a position
  13. ground — the earth
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. face — to confront
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. clip — a video
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. face — to point toward
  24. mug — a cup

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