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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. sharp — clever
  3. spring — a coil
  4. spring — of water
  5. rule — government
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. bat — the animal
  9. spring — the season
  10. ball — a dance
  11. mark — a trace
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. mark — a grade
  22. rule — a law
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. ball — a great time

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