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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. kid — to tease
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. sharp — clever
  7. squash — to crush
  8. chair — a leader
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. squash — the sport
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. kid — child
  19. season — in sport
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. season — of the year
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. cabinet — ministers

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