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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. net — in sport
  5. shower — rain
  6. cell — a phone
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. rash — hasty
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. net — for catching
  13. rash — a series
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. mate — a friend
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. shower — to wash
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. net — after costs
  21. cell — in biology
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. mate — to breed
  24. snap — to click

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