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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mug · cold · stock · sharp · bound · deal · game · patient

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. cold — an illness
  6. stock — shares
  7. game — wild animals
  8. bound — obliged
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. game — a match
  13. bound — tied together
  14. stock — goods
  15. mug — to rob
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. sharp — clever
  18. bound — certain
  19. deal — to handle
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. cold — not warm
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. mug — a cup

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