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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. rock — music
  3. drill — the tool
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. shower — rain
  6. rock — a stone
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. lean — thin
  10. drill — a practice
  11. fork — in a road
  12. bat — the animal
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. lean — to bend
  19. shower — to wash
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. drill — army training
  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