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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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. chair — a professorship
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. present — there
  7. chair — a leader
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. band — a ring
  10. snap — to click
  11. present — a gift
  12. band — a music group
  13. suit — clothes
  14. court — for sport
  15. court — of a king
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. present — the time now
  18. suit — to fit
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. suit — in cards
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. court — of law
  24. sharp — with an edge

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