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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. fine — all right
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fine — high quality
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. degree — from a university
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. season — in sport
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. degree — temperature
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. deal — to handle
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. degree — an amount
  23. jam — in traffic
  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