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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 assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. suit — to fit
  4. shower — rain
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. roll — a list
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. suit — clothes
  11. fine — high quality
  12. shower — to wash
  13. hand — in cards
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. roll — a cake
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. suit — in cards
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. hand — help
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. foot — a measure

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