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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. hand — in cards
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. shower — to wash
  9. firm — decided
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. cap — of ice
  13. last — to go on
  14. cap — a hat
  15. deal — to handle
  16. cap — a lid
  17. firm — steady
  18. last — final
  19. last — finally
  20. shower — rain
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. firm — a company
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. deal — a big deal

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