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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. cell — a phone
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. scale — in music
  8. craft — a skill
  9. sharp — clever
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. scale — size or range
  12. wound — an injury
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. craft — boats
  16. cell — in biology
  17. wound — an injury
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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