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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. degree — an amount
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. press — to push
  8. scale — in music
  9. wound — an injury
  10. drill — army training
  11. scale — size or range
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. drill — the tool
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. press — a publisher
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. degree — temperature
  18. bore — to tire
  19. bore — to drill
  20. degree — from a university
  21. press — newspapers
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. wound — an injury
  24. bat — the animal

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