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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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. game — a match
  3. pop — to visit
  4. mug — to rob
  5. last — to go on
  6. row — a line
  7. last — final
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. mug — a face
  10. row — to paddle
  11. bass — the fish
  12. drill — the tool
  13. game — wild animals
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. drill — a practice
  16. last — finally
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. drill — army training
  19. pop — soda
  20. bass — low music
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. mug — a cup
  23. pop — music
  24. row — a quarrel

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