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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. cap — a hat
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. wake — a trail
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. cap — of ice
  12. ball — a dance
  13. ball — a great time
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. cap — a lid
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. snap — to click
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. fork — in a road

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