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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 116 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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. rush — hurry
  4. drill — army training
  5. tube — the underground
  6. drill — a practice
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. tube — a container
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. drill — the tool
  11. row — a line
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. deal — to handle
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. fine — all right
  18. row — to paddle
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. fine — high quality
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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