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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 116 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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. ball — a great time
  5. shower — to wash
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. shower — rain
  8. board — a committee
  9. bore — to tire
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. pitch — completely
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. drill — a practice
  14. degree — temperature
  15. bore — to drill
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. degree — an amount
  18. board — to get on
  19. drill — the tool
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. degree — from a university
  22. ball — a dance
  23. drill — army training
  24. pitch — a sports field

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