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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 get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. bore — to tire
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. ground — crushed
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. mate — a friend
  7. key — for a lock
  8. ground — the earth
  9. mate — a partner
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. march — the month
  13. key — in music
  14. march — music
  15. key — the most important part
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. march — the month
  18. stem — to come from
  19. kick — in football
  20. bore — to drill
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. mate — to breed
  23. ground — a position
  24. kick — with a leg

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