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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. pop — to visit
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. pop — music
  5. drill — a practice
  6. stem — to come from
  7. rest — a break
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. sharp — clever
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. rest — what's left
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. hand — help
  15. rest — what's left
  16. drill — the tool
  17. pop — soda
  18. stand — to bear
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. drill — army training
  24. stand — on your feet

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