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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 120 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: last · fine · ball · sharp · wound · lash · patient · bat

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  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. ball — a round shape
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. fine — high quality
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. wound — an injury
  8. ball — a dance
  9. sharp — clever
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. last — final
  12. last — finally
  13. fine — all right
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. ball — a great time
  20. last — to go on
  21. bat — the animal
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  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