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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. hand — help
  4. perch — the fish
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. season — of the year
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. sharp — clever
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. vault — a safe
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. season — in sport
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. deal — to handle

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