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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. present — a gift
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. kid — to tease
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. kid — child
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. present — the time now
  18. present — there
  19. spell — magic
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. spell — letters
  22. vault — a safe
  23. spell — a short time
  24. pitcher — a jug

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