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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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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 · lean · present · firm · hand · chest

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. court — of law
  4. firm — a company
  5. lean — thin
  6. sharp — clever
  7. chest — of your body
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. hand — in cards
  10. present — a gift
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. present — the time now
  13. present — there
  14. firm — decided
  15. chest — of your body
  16. firm — steady
  17. court — for sport
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. lean — to bend
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. hand — help
  24. court — of a king

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