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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. mug — to rob
  5. last — final
  6. last — to go on
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. board — to get on
  10. cell — a phone
  11. board — a committee
  12. cell — in biology
  13. last — finally
  14. stand — to bear
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. wind — moving air
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. wind — moving air
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. mug — a face
  24. pitcher — a jug

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