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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. mine — for digging
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. spell — letters
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. mate — a partner
  10. mate — to breed
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. spell — a short time
  14. spell — magic
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. shower — to wash
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. rash — hasty
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. mate — a friend
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. shower — rain

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