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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. ground — a position
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. file — a tool
  7. file — a line of people
  8. mug — a cup
  9. drill — the tool
  10. ground — crushed
  11. drill — a practice
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. mate — a friend
  14. mug — a face
  15. stand — to bear
  16. wound — an injury
  17. ground — the earth
  18. mate — to breed
  19. mug — to rob
  20. wound — an injury
  21. file — a document
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. drill — army training
  24. mate — a partner

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