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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. mug — a face
  3. mug — to rob
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. bear — the animal
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. cold — not warm
  9. mug — a cup
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. cold — an illness
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. rule — government
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. sharp — clever
  21. rule — a law
  22. bear — the animal
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. bark — to shout

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