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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. hand — help
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. pass — a permit
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. drill — army training
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. lean — to bend
  15. drill — a practice
  16. capital — a city
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. drill — the tool
  19. hand — in cards
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. capital — money

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