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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 124 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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. cold — an illness
  6. last — to go on
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. shower — rain
  10. mug — to rob
  11. mug — a cup
  12. last — finally
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. lie — to recline
  15. mug — a face
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. shower — to wash
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. rule — government
  20. plane — a tool
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. cold — not warm
  24. rule — a law

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