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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 124 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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. fine — high quality
  4. scale — size or range
  5. tear — from crying
  6. mate — a partner
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. rest — a break
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. lie — to recline
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. scale — in music
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. tear — to rip
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. tear — from crying
  19. pitch — completely
  20. rest — what's left
  21. fine — all right
  22. mate — to breed
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. rest — what's left

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