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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. cold — not warm
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. ball — a great time
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. firm — decided
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. file — a tool
  11. file — a document
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. firm — a company
  14. firm — steady
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. ball — a dance
  17. stand — to bear
  18. cell — a phone
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. cold — an illness
  23. file — a line of people
  24. cell — in a prison

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