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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 120 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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. firm — a company
  4. bear — the animal
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. firm — steady
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. fine — high quality
  9. firm — decided
  10. bear — the animal
  11. tear — from crying
  12. field — farmland
  13. field — for sport
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. sharp — clever
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. tear — from crying
  20. field — a subject
  21. tear — to rip
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. kid — to tease
  24. fine — all right

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