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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 116 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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. rule — government
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. court — of law
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. cell — in biology
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. court — for sport
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. cell — a phone
  20. court — of a king
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. rule — a law

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