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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. bat — the animal
  4. mug — a cup
  5. mug — to rob
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. staff — a stick
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. saw — the tool
  10. pound — a weight
  11. staff — employees
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. mug — a face
  14. drill — a practice
  15. staff — employees
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. saw — the tool
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. snap — to click
  21. drill — the tool
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. drill — army training

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