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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. root — the cause
  4. mine — for digging
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. drill — army training
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. root — of a word
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. stock — shares
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. present — the time now
  17. drill — the tool
  18. present — a gift
  19. stock — goods
  20. root — of a plant
  21. bat — the animal
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. present — there

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