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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. rash — hasty
  4. ball — a great time
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. wind — moving air
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. object — a thing
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. rash — a series
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. object — an aim
  15. wind — moving air
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. pass — a permit
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. last — finally
  20. last — final
  21. last — to go on
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. ball — a dance

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