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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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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: rule · shower · present · pit · drill · ball · patient · foot

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. shower — to wash
  4. present — a gift
  5. pit — a hole
  6. ball — a great time
  7. foot — a measure
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. present — the time now
  10. pit — in a race
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. drill — army training
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. ball — a dance
  17. drill — a practice
  18. drill — the tool
  19. present — there
  20. rule — government
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. shower — rain
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. ball — a round shape

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