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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. court — of law
  3. court — of a king
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. net — after costs
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. bound — obliged
  8. net — for catching
  9. bound — tied together
  10. saw — the tool
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. sharp — clever
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. present — there
  15. court — for sport
  16. net — in sport
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. saw — the tool
  19. present — a gift
  20. fine — high quality
  21. present — the time now
  22. bound — certain
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. sharp — with an edge

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