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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 120 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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. drill — the tool
  4. drill — army training
  5. pit — in a race
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. bore — to drill
  9. drill — a practice
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. board — to get on
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. key — the most important part
  15. board — a committee
  16. key — for a lock
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. bore — to tire
  20. key — in music
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. pit — a hole
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. rush — to hurry

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