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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. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. bore — to drill
  3. perch — the fish
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. game — wild animals
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. bore — to tire
  13. rock — music
  14. spell — magic
  15. kid — to tease
  16. spell — a short time
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. game — a match
  19. bat — the animal
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. kid — child
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. rock — a stone
  24. spell — letters

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