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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 120 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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. spell — magic
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. rock — music
  9. cold — an illness
  10. rock — a stone
  11. spell — letters
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. fall — to drop
  14. ball — a dance
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. spell — a short time
  18. cold — not warm
  19. ball — a great time
  20. fall — the season
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. fall — to drop
  24. racket — for tennis

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