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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. deal — to handle
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. court — of law
  10. sharp — clever
  11. land — a country
  12. land — to come down
  13. court — for sport
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. pound — a weight
  18. court — of a king
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. kick — in football
  21. vault — a safe
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. land — ground

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