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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. present — a gift
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. track — to keep track
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. track — a path
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. present — the time now
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. present — there
  13. track — a song
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. bore — to drill
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. wind — moving air
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. bore — to tire
  23. wind — moving air
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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