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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. mate — to breed
  4. mate — a friend
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. wound — an injury
  8. mate — a partner
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bulb — for light
  11. wound — an injury
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. pit — a hole
  14. lie — to recline
  15. degree — from a university
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. pit — in a race
  18. drill — a practice
  19. drill — the tool
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. degree — temperature
  23. degree — an amount
  24. drill — army training

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