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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: pit · court · wound · swing · sharp · chest · fine · patient

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. swing — in golf
  3. court — of a king
  4. chest — of your body
  5. pit — a hole
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. pit — in a race
  10. swing — music
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. chest — of your body
  13. swing — to play on
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. court — for sport
  17. fine — high quality
  18. fine — all right
  19. chest — a box
  20. sharp — clever
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. court — of law
  23. wound — an injury
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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