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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. The water is too ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. mug — to rob
  3. court — of a king
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. mug — a face
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. mine — for digging
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. court — of law
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. court — for sport
  22. cold — an illness
  23. mug — a cup
  24. wave — of the sea

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