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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. bore — to drill
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. march — the month
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. rest — what's left
  10. game — wild animals
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. rest — what's left
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. march — the month
  16. game — a match
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. squash — to crush
  20. squash — the sport
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. bore — to tire
  24. march — music

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