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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. bound — certain
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. bound — obliged
  6. last — final
  7. face — to point toward
  8. last — to go on
  9. bound — tied together
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. last — finally
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. face — part of the head
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. rash — hasty
  19. rash — a series
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. face — to confront
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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