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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 ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. pop — to visit
  3. cold — an illness
  4. face — to confront
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. swing — music
  9. pop — soda
  10. swing — to play on
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. pass — a permit
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. face — to point toward
  18. rest — what's left
  19. cold — not warm
  20. rest — a break
  21. face — part of the head
  22. pop — music
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. swing — in golf

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