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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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. ground — crushed
  4. club — a group
  5. kid — to tease
  6. kid — child
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. chip — to eat
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. ground — a position
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. ground — the earth
  22. club — for golf
  23. chip — for betting
  24. club — for dancing

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