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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: ball · bay · cabinet · present · patient · cold · shower · dip

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. shower — to wash
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. present — there
  10. ball — a dance
  11. cold — not warm
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. dip — to sink
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. cold — an illness
  18. present — the time now
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. present — a gift
  24. shower — rain

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