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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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. cue — for pool
  5. face — part of the head
  6. file — a line of people
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. cue — a hint
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. rule — a law
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. cold — an illness
  13. file — a tool
  14. cue — a signal
  15. face — to confront
  16. cold — not warm
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. pit — in a race
  19. rule — government
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. file — a document
  23. face — to point toward
  24. pit — a hole

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