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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. chair — a leader
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. rash — a series
  9. bear — the animal
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. court — of law
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. bear — the animal
  16. sharp — clever
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. court — of a king
  21. rash — hasty
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. court — for sport
  24. patient — a sick person

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