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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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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: drill · season · fan · cue · mine · patient · key · foot

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. cue — a hint
  4. season — in sport
  5. drill — the tool
  6. foot — a measure
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. key — the most important part
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. key — for a lock
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. mine — for digging
  15. drill — a practice
  16. cue — for pool
  17. season — of the year
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. cue — a signal
  22. drill — army training
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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