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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 124 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 soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. drill — the tool
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chest — a box
  6. chest — of your body
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. current — electric
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. mark — a grade
  18. current — of water
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. current — happening now
  22. toast — bread
  23. drill — a practice
  24. mark — a trace

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