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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. rash — a series
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. drill — army training
  7. wound — an injury
  8. saw — the tool
  9. drill — the tool
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. drill — a practice
  12. hand — help
  13. hand — in cards
  14. fall — the season
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. wound — an injury
  19. fall — to drop
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. saw — the tool
  23. toast — bread
  24. fall — to drop

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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