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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 124 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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. charge — in control
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. row — a line
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. roll — a cake
  10. lie — to recline
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. charge — electricity
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. fall — to drop
  16. fall — to drop
  17. row — to paddle
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. roll — a list
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. charge — a price
  23. fall — the season
  24. snap — to click

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