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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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. wind — moving air
  3. current — happening now
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. bat — the animal
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. cold — not warm
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. current — electric
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. deal — to handle
  17. mate — a partner
  18. current — of water
  19. mate — a friend
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. mate — to breed
  22. wind — moving air
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. bat — for baseball

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