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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cold · chair · deal · racket · stand · patient · bore · drill

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. bore — to drill
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. cold — an illness
  5. stand — to bear
  6. cold — not warm
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. drill — the tool
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. bore — to tire
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. drill — a practice
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. chair — a leader
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. drill — army training
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. stand — for spectators

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