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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 116 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 ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. fall — to drop
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. shower — to wash
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. chip — for betting
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. bound — tied together
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. chip — to eat
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. fall — the season
  14. shower — rain
  15. saw — the tool
  16. net — in sport
  17. saw — the tool
  18. fall — to drop
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. net — for catching
  21. bound — obliged
  22. bound — certain
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. net — after costs

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