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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. net — in sport
  8. mug — to rob
  9. land — a country
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. drill — the tool
  12. land — ground
  13. net — after costs
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. spell — a short time
  16. net — for catching
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. spell — magic
  19. land — to come down
  20. drill — a practice
  21. drill — army training
  22. spell — letters
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. mug — a face

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