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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: court · sharp · patient · perch · season · deal · date · tube

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. season — of the year
  4. season — in sport
  5. perch — the fish
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. court — of law
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. date — the fruit
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. tube — the underground
  13. court — of a king
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. tube — a container
  16. sharp — clever
  17. court — for sport
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. deal — to handle
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. tube — in a tire

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