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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. sharp — clever
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. land — to come down
  5. deal — to handle
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. capital — money
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. land — ground
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. capital — a city
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. rest — what's left
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. land — a country
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. rest — a break

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