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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: mine · shower · mate · patient · racket · fine · stand · sharp

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. mate — a partner
  7. shower — rain
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. fine — all right
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. stand — to bear
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. mate — a friend
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. shower — to wash
  18. fine — high quality
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. mine — for digging
  24. mate — to breed

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