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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. drill — army training
  3. present — the time now
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. ball — a dance
  6. cell — a phone
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. fine — high quality
  9. snap — to click
  10. face — to point toward
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. ball — a great time
  13. present — there
  14. present — a gift
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. face — to confront
  18. fine — all right
  19. drill — a practice
  20. cell — in biology
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. face — part of the head
  23. drill — the tool
  24. cell — in a prison

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