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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. spring — of water
  3. present — a gift
  4. present — there
  5. bulb — for light
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. spring — the season
  9. sharp — clever
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. bulb — for light
  17. kick — in football
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. deal — to handle
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. spring — a coil
  24. pitcher — a jug

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