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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 124 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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. deal — to handle
  3. spring — of water
  4. chair — a leader
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. suit — in cards
  7. date — the fruit
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. suit — clothes
  10. scale — in music
  11. bore — to tire
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. suit — to fit
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. scale — size or range
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. spring — the season
  22. bore — to drill
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. spring — a coil

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