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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. track — a song
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. track — to keep track
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. track — a path
  16. bore — to tire
  17. bat — the animal
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. season — in sport
  23. bore — to drill
  24. pitcher — a jug

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