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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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. bass — the fish
  4. bore — to drill
  5. roll — a list
  6. foot — a measure
  7. field — for sport
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. bass — low music
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. vault — a safe
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. roll — a cake
  14. field — a subject
  15. bore — to tire
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. lie — to recline
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. field — farmland
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. lie — an untruth

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