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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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. spell — a short time
  4. charge — a price
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. charge — in control
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. ball — a great time
  10. spell — letters
  11. rest — a break
  12. wake — a trail
  13. charge — electricity
  14. ball — a dance
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. shower — to wash
  17. rest — what's left
  18. spell — magic
  19. cell — a phone
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. cell — in biology
  22. shower — rain
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. rest — what's left

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