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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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. last — to go on
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. cold — not warm
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. firm — a company
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. firm — steady
  10. firm — decided
  11. bark — to shout
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. cold — an illness
  14. dip — to sink
  15. last — final
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. vault — a safe
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. last — finally

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