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

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. suit — to fit
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. hand — in cards
  6. rule — a law
  7. sharp — clever
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. suit — in cards
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. wind — moving air
  15. hand — help
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. foot — a measure
  22. wind — moving air
  23. suit — clothes
  24. rule — government

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