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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. chip — for betting
  3. bound — obliged
  4. chip — to eat
  5. deal — to handle
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. wound — an injury
  9. bound — tied together
  10. wound — an injury
  11. degree — an amount
  12. bear — the animal
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. degree — from a university
  18. bear — the animal
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. degree — temperature
  24. bound — certain

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