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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 120 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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. mate — to breed
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. rest — a break
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. chest — a box
  12. mate — a partner
  13. rest — what's left
  14. rest — what's left
  15. cold — not warm
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. mate — a friend
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. chest — of your body
  20. fine — all right
  21. cold — an illness
  22. fine — high quality
  23. chest — of your body
  24. patient — a sick person

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