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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 116 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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. scale — size or range
  3. drill — army training
  4. mug — to rob
  5. prune — to trim
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. kid — child
  11. scale — in music
  12. prune — to trim
  13. drill — the tool
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. mug — a cup
  20. kid — to tease
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. pass — a permit
  23. mug — a face
  24. drill — a practice

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