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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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. pit — a hole
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. fine — all right
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. net — for catching
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. pit — in a race
  15. game — wild animals
  16. game — a match
  17. net — in sport
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. net — after costs
  21. fine — high quality
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. calf — of the leg

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