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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. present — a gift
  3. scale — in music
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. present — the time now
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. foot — a measure
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. present — there
  15. hand — help
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. bore — to tire
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. sharp — clever
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. hand — in cards
  22. scale — size or range
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. bore — to drill

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