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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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. staff — employees
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. lie — to recline
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. squash — to crush
  7. chip — for betting
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. cap — of ice
  11. squash — the sport
  12. chip — to eat
  13. bulb — for light
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. cap — a hat
  17. cap — a lid
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. staff — a stick
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. staff — employees
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. bulb — for light

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