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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.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. season — of the year
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. pass — a permit
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. charge — in control
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. cold — an illness
  14. season — in sport
  15. charge — electricity
  16. charge — a price
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. racket — a loud noise

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