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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. key — in music
  4. net — in sport
  5. stand — to bear
  6. cold — not warm
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. key — for a lock
  9. fine — high quality
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. fine — all right
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. net — for catching
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. cold — an illness
  17. net — after costs
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wound — an injury
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. key — the most important part

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