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

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. 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. lean — to rest against
  2. degree — an amount
  3. deal — to handle
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. sharp — clever
  6. degree — from a university
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. season — in sport
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. lean — to bend
  12. season — of the year
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. lean — thin
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. degree — temperature
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. 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