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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. file — a line of people
  3. charge — in control
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. cell — in biology
  6. bound — certain
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. bound — tied together
  9. charge — electricity
  10. staff — employees
  11. mark — a grade
  12. tear — from crying
  13. file — a document
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. bound — obliged
  16. staff — a stick
  17. charge — a price
  18. file — a tool
  19. mark — a trace
  20. staff — employees
  21. cell — a phone
  22. tear — to rip
  23. tear — from crying
  24. cell — in a prison

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