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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 polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. mug — a cup
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. chest — of your body
  7. chest — of your body
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. kid — to tease
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. mug — to rob
  14. chest — a box
  15. stock — goods
  16. kid — child
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. cap — a hat
  20. stock — shares
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. mug — a face
  23. cap — a lid
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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