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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. scale — in music
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. pit — a hole
  5. bore — to tire
  6. clip — for paper
  7. clip — a video
  8. scale — size or range
  9. staff — employees
  10. mate — a partner
  11. pit — in a race
  12. staff — a stick
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. mate — a friend
  16. clip — to cut
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. staff — employees
  19. drill — army training
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. mate — to breed
  22. drill — a practice
  23. bore — to drill
  24. patient — a sick person

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