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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  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. sharp — with an edge
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. deal — to handle
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. sharp — clever
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. chip — for betting
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. field — a subject
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. chip — to eat
  16. pit — a hole
  17. field — farmland
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. fork — in a road
  21. pit — in a race
  22. field — for sport
  23. fork — a garden tool
  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