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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 116 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 was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. present — there
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. staff — employees
  5. mine — for digging
  6. swing — music
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. present — the time now
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. shower — rain
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. kick — in football
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. swing — to play on
  16. swing — in golf
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. present — a gift
  19. shower — to wash
  20. sharp — clever
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. staff — a stick
  23. staff — employees
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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