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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. court — of a king
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. staff — employees
  5. mug — a face
  6. cell — a phone
  7. cell — in biology
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. staff — a stick
  10. drill — a practice
  11. court — of law
  12. degree — from a university
  13. mug — to rob
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. degree — temperature
  16. staff — employees
  17. drill — army training
  18. degree — an amount
  19. court — for sport
  20. rest — what's left
  21. mug — a cup
  22. rest — a break
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. rest — what's left

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