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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  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. pitcher — a jug
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. foot — a measure
  4. march — music
  5. hand — help
  6. march — the month
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. vault — a safe
  11. hand — in cards
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. spell — a short time
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. march — the month
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. spell — letters
  23. nail — for a hammer
  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