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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: patient · rule · pass · shower · spell · dip · cold · club

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. cold — an illness
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. dip — to sink
  10. club — a group
  11. rule — a law
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. spell — letters
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. cold — not warm
  17. shower — rain
  18. shower — to wash
  19. club — for golf
  20. spell — a short time
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. spell — magic
  23. rule — government
  24. club — for dancing

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