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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. cold — not warm
  3. rule — a law
  4. can — a tin
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. can — to be able to
  10. cold — an illness
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. rock — music
  13. court — of law
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. can — a tin
  16. court — for sport
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. rule — government
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. court — of a king
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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