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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. key — for a lock
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. bore — to drill
  5. cell — a phone
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. cell — in biology
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. fine — all right
  12. sharp — clever
  13. wound — an injury
  14. bore — to tire
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. fine — high quality
  17. field — a subject
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. field — for sport
  20. key — in music
  21. key — the most important part
  22. field — farmland
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. sharp — with an edge

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