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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 was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. rest — what's left
  3. cold — an illness
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. mug — a face
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. rest — a break
  13. mug — to rob
  14. ball — a dance
  15. key — for a lock
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. key — in music
  18. rest — what's left
  19. key — the most important part
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. cold — not warm
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. mug — a cup

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