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

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. spring — of water
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. season — of the year
  8. kick — in football
  9. dip — to sink
  10. fall — to drop
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. fall — to drop
  14. spring — the season
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. sharp — clever
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. fall — the season
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. season — in sport
  22. chair — a leader
  23. spring — a coil
  24. kick — a thrill

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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