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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. drill — army training
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. rash — hasty
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. drill — a practice
  7. key — in music
  8. cell — a phone
  9. rash — a series
  10. drill — the tool
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. band — a music group
  13. key — for a lock
  14. mark — a trace
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. key — the most important part
  17. band — a ring
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. mark — a grade

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