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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. squash — the sport
  3. mug — a face
  4. mine — for digging
  5. mug — to rob
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. mug — a cup
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. lie — to recline
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. rush — hurry
  14. cold — an illness
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. cold — not warm
  17. roll — a cake
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. squash — to crush
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. roll — a list
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. lie — an untruth

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