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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. rash — hasty
  4. rash — a series
  5. perch — the fish
  6. lean — to bend
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. net — in sport
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. chip — to eat
  15. deal — to handle
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. chip — for betting
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. net — for catching
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. net — after costs

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