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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.

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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: fall · cold · rule · safe · patient · spell · arm · lie

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. spell — a short time
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. rule — a law
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. fall — to drop
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. spell — magic
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. lie — to recline
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. fall — to drop
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. rule — government
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. cold — not warm
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. fall — the season
  23. cold — an illness
  24. spell — letters

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