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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. row — a line
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. wound — an injury
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. drill — a practice
  8. drill — army training
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. toast — bread
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. row — to paddle
  19. wound — an injury
  20. foot — a measure
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. drill — the tool
  24. mine — for digging

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