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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. file — a tool
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. game — wild animals
  7. suit — clothes
  8. mate — a partner
  9. file — a line of people
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. sharp — clever
  14. file — a document
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. kick — in football
  17. mate — a friend
  18. suit — in cards
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. game — a match
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. mate — to breed
  24. patient — a sick person

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