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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. cap — of ice
  3. toast — bread
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. cap — a lid
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. rash — hasty
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. cap — a hat
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. rash — a series
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. snap — to click
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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