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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. net — in sport
  7. rush — hurry
  8. kick — in football
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. cold — an illness
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. net — for catching
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. net — after costs
  20. cold — not warm
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. sharp — clever
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. bay — a part of the sea

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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