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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. land — a country
  4. deal — to handle
  5. pit — in a race
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. can — a tin
  10. hand — help
  11. key — for a lock
  12. can — to be able to
  13. rash — hasty
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. key — in music
  16. rash — a series
  17. land — ground
  18. hand — in cards
  19. pit — a hole
  20. key — the most important part
  21. can — a tin
  22. land — to come down
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. patient — a sick person

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