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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  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. drill — a practice
  2. drill — the tool
  3. degree — an amount
  4. pit — in a race
  5. wind — moving air
  6. pit — a hole
  7. chip — to eat
  8. wax — to grow
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. drill — army training
  12. degree — from a university
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. pass — a permit
  15. wind — moving air
  16. chip — for betting
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. degree — temperature
  23. pass — to spend time
  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