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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. rest — what's left
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. wake — a trail
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. rest — a break
  8. scale — in music
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. field — for sport
  11. field — farmland
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. scale — size or range
  15. field — a subject
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. last — finally
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. sharp — clever
  21. last — final
  22. last — to go on
  23. rest — what's left
  24. toast — bread

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