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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 120 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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. stand — to bear
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. saw — the tool
  8. capital — a city
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. board — to get on
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. sharp — clever
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. capital — money
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. saw — the tool
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. board — a committee

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