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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. plane — a tool
  4. deal — to handle
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. net — in sport
  9. net — after costs
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. cold — not warm
  12. chip — for betting
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. chip — to eat
  16. cold — an illness
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. net — for catching
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. deal — a big deal

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