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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 124 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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: jam · sharp · patient · lie · pound · racket · cold · coach

  1. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. lie — to recline
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. sharp — clever
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. cold — not warm
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. pound — a weight
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. cold — an illness
  24. racket — for tennis

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