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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 120 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'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. pound — a weight
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. land — to come down
  9. saw — the tool
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. land — a country
  13. deal — to handle
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. kid — to tease
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. pit — a hole
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. pit — in a race
  22. saw — the tool
  23. kid — child
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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