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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. saw — the tool
  3. present — a gift
  4. rest — what's left
  5. kid — child
  6. hand — help
  7. rest — a break
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. present — there
  10. kid — to tease
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. track — a song
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bear — the animal
  15. track — to keep track
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. track — a path
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. present — the time now
  21. hand — in cards
  22. rest — what's left
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. saw — the tool

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