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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. cold — an illness
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. mug — to rob
  6. present — the time now
  7. mug — a cup
  8. mug — a face
  9. fall — the season
  10. lie — to recline
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. snap — to click
  14. present — a gift
  15. charge — in control
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. charge — electricity
  18. present — there
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. charge — a price
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. fall — to drop
  23. fall — to drop
  24. cold — not warm

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