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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. cell — in biology
  4. court — of law
  5. pound — a weight
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. swing — to play on
  8. swing — in golf
  9. lean — thin
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. cell — a phone
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. sharp — clever
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. bulb — for light
  18. swing — music
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. bulb — for light
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. court — for sport
  23. lean — to bend
  24. court — of a king

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