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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 wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. cold — not warm
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. firm — decided
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. cold — an illness
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. rule — a law
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. firm — steady
  14. pass — a permit
  15. wound — an injury
  16. rule — government
  17. spring — the season
  18. chip — to eat
  19. chip — for betting
  20. firm — a company
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. wound — an injury
  23. spring — a coil
  24. spring — of water

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