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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 band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. rash — a series
  7. fine — all right
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. fine — high quality
  11. rule — a law
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. rash — hasty
  14. vault — a safe
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. cold — not warm
  20. march — the month
  21. rule — government
  22. march — the month
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. cold — an illness

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