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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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. key — in music
  3. rash — hasty
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. key — the most important part
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. charge — a price
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. charge — electricity
  11. rash — a series
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. hand — help
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. hand — in cards
  17. charge — in control
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. key — for a lock
  22. dip — to sink
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. patient — a sick person

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