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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. race — humankind
  4. court — for sport
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. court — of law
  8. chest — of your body
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. bore — to tire
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. bore — to drill
  14. hand — help
  15. chest — a box
  16. court — of a king
  17. rock — a stone
  18. race — a contest
  19. chest — of your body
  20. rock — music
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. saw — the tool
  23. race — the arms race
  24. hand — in cards

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