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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. face — part of the head
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. court — for sport
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. object — an aim
  12. court — of law
  13. face — to confront
  14. object — a thing
  15. court — of a king
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. object — to protest
  20. wound — an injury
  21. face — to point toward
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. kick — in football
  24. wound — an injury

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