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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. cold — an illness
  3. bass — the fish
  4. rash — hasty
  5. mug — a face
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. cold — not warm
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. mug — a cup
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. mug — to rob
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. bass — low music
  15. rash — a series
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. fine — high quality
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. fine — all right
  24. nail — for a hammer

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