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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  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. rush — hurry
  2. deal — to handle
  3. can — a tin
  4. mate — a partner
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. chest — of your body
  8. chest — a box
  9. net — for catching
  10. roll — a list
  11. roll — a cake
  12. can — to be able to
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. mate — to breed
  15. chest — of your body
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. net — in sport
  18. can — a tin
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. mate — a friend
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. net — after costs
  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