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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. cap — a hat
  4. rash — hasty
  5. staff — a stick
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. kid — child
  8. staff — employees
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. rash — a series
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. kid — to tease
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. march — the month
  15. cap — of ice
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. lie — to recline
  19. march — music
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. march — the month
  22. cap — a lid
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. staff — employees

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