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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. mug — a cup
  3. mug — a face
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. mug — to rob
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. race — a contest
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. race — the arms race
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. fall — to drop
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. chair — a leader
  18. fall — to drop
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. bat — the animal
  23. pound — a weight
  24. race — humankind

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