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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've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. cold — not warm
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. cold — an illness
  9. spell — magic
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. perch — the fish
  12. staff — a stick
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. sharp — clever
  15. staff — employees
  16. spell — letters
  17. dip — to sink
  18. firm — steady
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. firm — a company
  23. staff — employees
  24. firm — decided

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