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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. deal — to handle
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. cap — a hat
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. mate — to breed
  7. cap — of ice
  8. fall — to drop
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. fall — to drop
  11. cap — a lid
  12. mate — a friend
  13. chair — a leader
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. mate — a partner
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. fall — the season

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