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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. cold — an illness
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. field — a subject
  5. field — farmland
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. rest — what's left
  8. season — in sport
  9. rule — a law
  10. present — there
  11. cold — not warm
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. rest — a break
  15. rule — government
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. rest — what's left
  18. season — of the year
  19. present — a gift
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. present — the time now
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. field — for sport
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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