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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. rash — hasty
  7. rest — a break
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. lie — to recline
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. net — after costs
  15. bank — for money
  16. rash — a series
  17. squash — to crush
  18. net — in sport
  19. squash — the sport
  20. bank — for money
  21. net — for catching
  22. rest — what's left
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. bank — of a river

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