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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. kid — child
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. fall — to drop
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. mate — a partner
  7. squash — to crush
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. mate — a friend
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. squash — the sport
  15. fall — the season
  16. cap — a hat
  17. cap — a lid
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. cap — of ice
  20. fall — to drop
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. kid — to tease

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