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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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. craft — boats
  3. capital — money
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. craft — a skill
  6. march — the month
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. sharp — clever
  10. season — in sport
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. pit — in a race
  13. march — music
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. march — the month
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. capital — a city
  21. season — of the year
  22. pit — a hole
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. sharp — with an edge

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