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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 120 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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. object — a thing
  3. object — an aim
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. ball — a dance
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. deal — to handle
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. shower — to wash
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. object — to protest
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. shower — rain
  21. cold — not warm
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. ball — a great time

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