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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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. mate — a friend
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. chest — of your body
  10. foot — a measure
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. bore — to tire
  18. chest — of your body
  19. mate — to breed
  20. bore — to drill
  21. kid — child
  22. chest — a box
  23. kid — to tease
  24. mate — a partner

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