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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. degree — from a university
  4. key — in music
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. key — for a lock
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. key — the most important part
  12. drill — a practice
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. degree — an amount
  15. pound — a weight
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. content — the amount
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. degree — temperature
  22. drill — army training
  23. content — happy
  24. patient — a sick person

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