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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. degree — from a university
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. pitch — completely
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. degree — an amount
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. saw — the tool
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. degree — temperature
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. safe — out of danger

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