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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: net · fall · cell · bore · pit · patient · temple · snap

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. pit — a hole
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. net — after costs
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. bore — to drill
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. net — for catching
  10. snap — to click
  11. fall — to drop
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. pit — in a race
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. cell — a phone
  18. fall — to drop
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. fall — the season
  21. net — in sport
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. cell — in biology
  24. bore — to tire

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