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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: patient · foot · lie · current · cold · drill · cap · kick

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. kick — in football
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. current — electric
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. drill — the tool
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. drill — a practice
  10. lie — to recline
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. cold — not warm
  13. cap — a hat
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. cap — of ice
  16. current — of water
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. drill — army training
  19. cap — a lid
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. cold — an illness
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. current — happening now
  24. foot — a measure

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