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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 jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. cold — an illness
  3. mug — a face
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. land — ground
  7. rest — a break
  8. rest — what's left
  9. land — to come down
  10. mark — a trace
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. cold — not warm
  14. mug — a cup
  15. cell — in biology
  16. swing — in golf
  17. mug — to rob
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. mark — a grade
  20. land — a country
  21. cell — a phone
  22. swing — to play on
  23. rest — what's left
  24. patient — a sick person

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