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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  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. bore — gave birth
  2. fine — all right
  3. bore — to tire
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. rest — what's left
  7. object — a thing
  8. bore — to drill
  9. hand — help
  10. rest — a break
  11. swing — in golf
  12. swing — to play on
  13. drill — the tool
  14. object — an aim
  15. swing — music
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. hand — in cards
  18. object — to protest
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. fine — high quality
  21. rest — what's left
  22. drill — a practice
  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