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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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. mate — to breed
  3. bark — to shout
  4. ground — the earth
  5. mate — a partner
  6. file — a document
  7. dip — to sink
  8. file — a tool
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. mate — a friend
  12. ground — a position
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. sharp — clever
  17. ground — crushed
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. vault — a safe
  22. file — a line of people
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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