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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. cap — a lid
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. cap — a hat
  5. drill — army training
  6. drill — a practice
  7. sharp — clever
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. foot — a measure
  10. track — a path
  11. date — the fruit
  12. track — a song
  13. cap — of ice
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. track — to keep track
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. kid — to tease
  21. kid — child
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. drill — the tool

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