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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. hand — help
  4. season — in sport
  5. face — to confront
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. deal — to handle
  8. hand — in cards
  9. sharp — clever
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. prune — to trim
  13. prune — to trim
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. season — of the year
  17. face — to point toward
  18. pound — a weight
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. face — part of the head
  24. 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