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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 120 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 had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. mark — a grade
  5. saw — the tool
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. pit — in a race
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. cold — not warm
  12. wound — an injury
  13. rock — music
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. saw — the tool
  19. rock — a stone
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. mark — a trace
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. pit — a hole
  24. patient — a sick person

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