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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 116 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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. drill — army training
  5. saw — the tool
  6. saw — the tool
  7. wound — an injury
  8. rush — hurry
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. court — for sport
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. file — a line of people
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. file — a tool
  19. court — of law
  20. drill — a practice
  21. file — a document
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. deal — to handle
  24. court — of a king

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