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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 116 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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. present — a gift
  3. present — the time now
  4. deal — to handle
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. hand — in cards
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. hand — help
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. rest — a break
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. drill — a practice
  16. rest — what's left
  17. drill — the tool
  18. wind — moving air
  19. wind — moving air
  20. rest — what's left
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. drill — army training
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. hand — part of the body

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