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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. pit — a hole
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. pit — in a race
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. cell — in biology
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. march — the month
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. cell — a phone
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. lean — thin
  18. lean — to bend
  19. net — for catching
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. plane — a tool
  22. net — after costs
  23. march — the month
  24. march — music

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