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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: bay · pit · patient · object · fall · hide · sharp · deal

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  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. object — to protest
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. fall — the season
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. object — a thing
  9. pit — a hole
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. fall — to drop
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. fall — to drop
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. pit — in a race
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. deal — to handle
  19. sharp — clever
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. object — an aim
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  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