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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. cold — an illness
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. firm — steady
  6. season — in sport
  7. fall — to drop
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. club — for dancing
  10. club — a group
  11. firm — decided
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. chair — a leader
  15. fall — the season
  16. cold — not warm
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. fall — to drop
  19. date — the fruit
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. firm — a company
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. season — of the year

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