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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. bore — to drill
  4. swing — to play on
  5. club — a group
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. cell — a phone
  10. swing — in golf
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. club — for golf
  14. bore — to tire
  15. club — for dancing
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. cell — in biology
  18. rock — a stone
  19. rock — music
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. swing — music
  22. can — a tin
  23. can — a tin
  24. chair — a leader

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