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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. squash — to crush
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. pit — in a race
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pit — a hole
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. drill — a practice
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. drill — army training
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. drill — the tool
  20. bat — the animal
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. squash — the sport

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