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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. ball — a dance
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. track — to keep track
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. track — a song
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. ball — a great time
  13. kid — to tease
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. ground — a position
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. ground — crushed
  19. kid — child
  20. track — a path
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. ground — the earth
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. patient — a sick person

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