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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.

Make a worksheet

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: sharp · straw · key · degree · patient · coach · bat · safe

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. key — for a lock
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. key — in music
  16. sharp — clever
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. degree — from a university
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. key — the most important part
  21. degree — temperature
  22. degree — an amount
  23. bat — the animal
  24. safe — out of danger

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