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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: sharp · bound · chip · ground · march · rash · patient · snap

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  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. rash — on the skin
  2. rash — a series
  3. ground — a position
  4. bound — tied together
  5. march — the month
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. bound — certain
  8. sharp — clever
  9. chip — to eat
  10. march — music
  11. chip — for betting
  12. march — the month
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. ground — the earth
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. bound — obliged
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. ground — crushed
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. snap — to click
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. rash — hasty
  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