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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. pop — soda
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. bound — tied together
  6. cold — not warm
  7. face — part of the head
  8. pop — music
  9. key — in music
  10. staff — employees
  11. staff — a stick
  12. key — the most important part
  13. face — to point toward
  14. face — to confront
  15. pop — to visit
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. staff — employees
  19. key — for a lock
  20. bound — certain
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. bound — obliged
  24. cold — the Cold War

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