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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. tear — from crying
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. sharp — clever
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. content — the amount
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. content — happy
  15. swing — music
  16. swing — in golf
  17. tear — to rip
  18. tear — from crying
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. swing — to play on
  24. ruler — for measuring

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