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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 124 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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. hand — help
  3. firm — decided
  4. mate — a partner
  5. fall — to drop
  6. bear — the animal
  7. mate — to breed
  8. firm — a company
  9. mug — a face
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. mug — a cup
  12. fall — the season
  13. mate — a friend
  14. mug — to rob
  15. hand — in cards
  16. fall — to drop
  17. kid — to tease
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. firm — steady
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. kid — child
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. bear — the animal

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