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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: row · sharp · snap · last · mate · patient · pitcher · jam

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. mate — a friend
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. mate — a partner
  5. row — to paddle
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. row — a line
  10. last — to go on
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. mate — to breed
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. last — finally
  19. last — final
  20. sharp — clever
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. snap — to click
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. row — a quarrel

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