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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. ball — a great time
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. staff — employees
  7. cold — an illness
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. staff — a stick
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. staff — employees
  12. cold — not warm
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. rule — government
  16. plane — a tool
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. ball — a dance
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. rule — a law
  24. patient — a sick person

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