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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. rash — hasty
  3. rash — a series
  4. cap — of ice
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. cap — a hat
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. cell — a phone
  15. lie — to recline
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. cap — a lid
  20. cell — in biology
  21. mark — a grade
  22. bat — the animal
  23. mark — a trace
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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