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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. mate — to breed
  3. can — to be able to
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. cold — not warm
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. sharp — clever
  12. mate — a friend
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. mate — a partner
  16. can — a tin
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. stand — to bear
  20. cold — an illness
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. can — a tin
  23. perch — the fish
  24. ruler — for measuring

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