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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 ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. chip — for betting
  5. mine — for digging
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. drill — the tool
  9. chip — to eat
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. cold — not warm
  13. race — the arms race
  14. race — humankind
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. race — a contest
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. cold — an illness
  20. drill — a practice
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. drill — army training
  24. mine — an explosive

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