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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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. row — to paddle
  6. toast — bread
  7. scale — size or range
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. vault — a safe
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. row — a line
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. mine — for digging
  15. roll — a cake
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. roll — a list
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. scale — in music
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. mine — an explosive

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