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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. cell — a phone
  4. tear — to rip
  5. sharp — clever
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. staff — employees
  8. cell — in biology
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. tear — from crying
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. staff — a stick
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. game — a match
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. staff — employees
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. tear — from crying

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