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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. spell — a short time
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. scale — size or range
  6. mate — a friend
  7. scale — in music
  8. staff — employees
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. mate — to breed
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wound — an injury
  13. staff — employees
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. mate — a partner
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. staff — a stick
  19. spell — letters
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. spell — magic

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