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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: land · patient · pit · kick · sharp · ball · chair · wound

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. kick — in football
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. land — to come down
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. pit — in a race
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. ball — a great time
  11. sharp — clever
  12. land — ground
  13. chair — a leader
  14. ball — a dance
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. wound — an injury
  19. land — a country
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. pit — a hole
  24. kick — with a leg

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