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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. present — the time now
  3. drill — army training
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. cue — a signal
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. cue — a hint
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. drill — a practice
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. bear — the animal
  14. present — there
  15. bear — the animal
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. cue — for pool
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. drill — the tool
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. present — a gift
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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