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

Word bank: cell · staff · patient · sharp · fall · foot · cold · ball

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. cold — an illness
  3. staff — a stick
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. cell — in biology
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. foot — a measure
  8. staff — employees
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. staff — employees
  11. sharp — clever
  12. cold — not warm
  13. fall — to drop
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. cell — a phone
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. ball — a dance
  21. fall — to drop
  22. ball — a great time
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. cell — in a prison

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