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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. bore — to drill
  3. fall — the season
  4. ball — a dance
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. land — ground
  7. scale — in music
  8. fall — to drop
  9. land — a country
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. scale — size or range
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. fall — to drop
  21. ball — a great time
  22. land — to come down
  23. bore — to tire
  24. pitcher — a jug

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