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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. drill — the tool
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. game — a match
  5. net — after costs
  6. net — in sport
  7. charge — a price
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. craft — a skill
  11. craft — boats
  12. net — for catching
  13. drill — army training
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. bound — obliged
  16. bound — certain
  17. row — to paddle
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. bound — tied together
  20. row — a line
  21. charge — electricity
  22. drill — a practice
  23. charge — in control
  24. craft — a handicraft

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