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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. chip — to eat
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. dip — to sink
  12. pass — a permit
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. chip — for betting
  17. ball — a dance
  18. wind — moving air
  19. sharp — clever
  20. ball — a great time
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. wind — moving air

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