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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. swing — to play on
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. snap — to click
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. sharp — clever
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. row — a line
  12. season — in sport
  13. swing — in golf
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. pass — a permit
  17. swing — music
  18. dip — to sink
  19. row — to paddle
  20. season — of the year
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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