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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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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 kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. chair — a leader
  3. cold — an illness
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. stand — to bear
  7. cold — not warm
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. ball — a great time
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. ball — a dance
  13. wax — to grow
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. fork — in a road
  24. fork — to eat with

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