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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 120 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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. net — for catching
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. land — a country
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. sharp — clever
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. land — ground
  15. net — after costs
  16. snap — to click
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. land — to come down
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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