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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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. file — a tool
  4. cap — a lid
  5. cell — in biology
  6. cell — a phone
  7. row — a line
  8. cap — a hat
  9. file — a document
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. row — to paddle
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. cap — of ice
  14. game — a match
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. game — wild animals
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. file — a line of people
  24. fan — to cool the air

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