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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. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. drill — a practice
  6. bore — to tire
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. drill — army training
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. degree — temperature
  13. drill — the tool
  14. degree — from a university
  15. snap — to click
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. chip — for betting
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. degree — an amount
  21. chip — to eat
  22. bore — to drill
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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