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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. chair — a leader
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. mate — a partner
  9. tube — a container
  10. tube — the underground
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. kid — child
  13. shower — rain
  14. deal — to handle
  15. mate — to breed
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. shower — to wash
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. mate — a friend
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. kid — to tease

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