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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. bore — to tire
  5. cold — an illness
  6. mate — a friend
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. cold — not warm
  11. bore — to drill
  12. chair — a leader
  13. mate — a partner
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. kick — in football
  21. mate — to breed
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. patient — a sick person

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