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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. kid — child
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. kid — to tease
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. drill — a practice
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. season — in sport
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. season — of the year
  15. roll — a list
  16. drill — the tool
  17. net — for catching
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. foot — a measure
  20. net — in sport
  21. net — after costs
  22. drill — army training
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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