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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. staff — employees
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. cold — not warm
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. staff — a stick
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. staff — employees
  11. last — final
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. last — to go on
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. last — finally
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. pitch — completely
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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