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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. ground — a position
  4. ground — crushed
  5. ground — the earth
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. bore — to drill
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. present — a gift
  13. present — the time now
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. rash — hasty
  18. sharp — clever
  19. present — there
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. rash — a series
  22. bore — to tire
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. rash — on the skin

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