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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. swing — to play on
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. present — a gift
  6. swing — in golf
  7. net — after costs
  8. season — of the year
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. present — the time now
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. cold — an illness
  15. swing — music
  16. net — in sport
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. net — for catching
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. cold — not warm
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. present — there
  23. season — in sport
  24. leaves — lets stay

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