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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 116 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
468
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: net · patient · hand · staff · calf · pit · ruler · drill

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. staff — a stick
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. staff — employees
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. pit — a hole
  9. net — for catching
  10. drill — army training
  11. hand — in cards
  12. net — in sport
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. staff — employees
  15. drill — a practice
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. drill — the tool
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. pit — in a race
  23. hand — help
  24. patient — a sick person

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