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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. firm — steady
  4. row — to paddle
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. cold — not warm
  7. cold — an illness
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. firm — a company
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. lie — to recline
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. bat — the animal
  17. fine — high quality
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. firm — decided
  20. fine — all right
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. row — a line

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