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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. mark — a grade
  5. drill — the tool
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. mark — a trace
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. drill — a practice
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. clip — for paper
  15. net — after costs
  16. drill — army training
  17. clip — a video
  18. net — for catching
  19. mine — for digging
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. clip — to cut
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. arm — a part of something

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