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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 120 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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. drill — the tool
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. cap — a lid
  12. hand — in cards
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. cell — in biology
  15. cap — a hat
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. foot — a measure
  19. drill — army training
  20. hand — help
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. cap — of ice
  23. drill — a practice
  24. cell — a phone

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