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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 hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. mate — to breed
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wind — moving air
  6. mate — a friend
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. cap — a lid
  11. cap — a hat
  12. chest — a box
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. pit — in a race
  15. cap — of ice
  16. root — of a plant
  17. mate — a partner
  18. root — the cause
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. chest — of your body
  21. pit — a hole
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. chest — of your body
  24. root — of a word

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