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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. can — a tin
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. wind — moving air
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. fine — high quality
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. can — a tin
  14. wind — moving air
  15. fine — all right
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. cold — not warm
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. cold — an illness
  21. season — of the year
  22. can — to be able to
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. season — to add flavour

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