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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 124 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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. stand — to bear
  3. charge — electricity
  4. charge — a price
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. rule — a law
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. rule — government
  10. charge — in control
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. bore — to drill
  16. kid — child
  17. bore — to tire
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. cold — an illness
  22. cold — not warm
  23. kid — to tease
  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