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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. kid — to tease
  4. kick — in football
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. deal — to handle
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. mine — for digging
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. kid — child
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. kick — with a leg

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