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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. wound — an injury
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. present — there
  6. game — wild animals
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. saw — the tool
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. fork — in a road
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. present — the time now
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. wound — an injury
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. dip — to sink
  18. game — a match
  19. present — a gift
  20. staff — employees
  21. staff — a stick
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. saw — the tool

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