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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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. rule — a law
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. drill — the tool
  7. fine — all right
  8. staff — employees
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. staff — a stick
  12. fine — high quality
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. drill — a practice
  18. drill — army training
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. sharp — clever
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. rule — government
  24. staff — employees

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