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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. firm — steady
  3. stock — goods
  4. face — part of the head
  5. charge — a price
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. mug — a face
  8. charge — in control
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. stock — shares
  13. charge — electricity
  14. mug — a cup
  15. cold — not warm
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wound — an injury
  18. firm — decided
  19. mug — to rob
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. face — to confront
  22. face — to point toward
  23. firm — a company
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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