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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 116 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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. spell — a short time
  3. kick — in football
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. drill — the tool
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. drill — a practice
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. drill — army training
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. fall — to drop
  14. spell — magic
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. fall — to drop
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. spell — letters
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. wound — an injury
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. wound — an injury
  24. kick — a thrill

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