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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. last — finally
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. rule — government
  6. chest — a box
  7. chest — of your body
  8. chest — of your body
  9. last — to go on
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. rule — a law
  14. root — of a plant
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. root — of a word
  19. snap — to click
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. root — the cause
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. last — final

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