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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. cold — not warm
  6. cold — an illness
  7. suit — in cards
  8. suit — to fit
  9. hand — in cards
  10. present — there
  11. ball — a great time
  12. present — a gift
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. suit — clothes
  15. ball — a dance
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. hand — help
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. present — the time now
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. plane — a tool
  24. ball — a round shape

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