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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. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. rest — a break
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. rule — government
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. stock — shares
  7. rest — what's left
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. stock — goods
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. row — to paddle
  15. cold — an illness
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. row — a line
  18. rule — a law
  19. cold — not warm
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. rest — what's left

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