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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. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. sharp — clever
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. fork — in a road
  6. file — a document
  7. bass — low music
  8. bass — the fish
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. rule — government
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wound — an injury
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. file — a tool
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. file — a line of people
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. rule — a law
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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