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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. mark — a trace
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. cell — in biology
  7. spell — letters
  8. board — to get on
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. cell — a phone
  13. cold — not warm
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. mark — a grade
  17. spell — a short time
  18. pit — a hole
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. board — a committee
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. spell — magic
  24. pit — in a race

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