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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: ball · sharp · fine · patient · toast · cold · wound · staff

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. staff — employees
  5. cold — an illness
  6. staff — employees
  7. sharp — clever
  8. toast — bread
  9. fine — all right
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. cold — not warm
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. fine — high quality
  16. staff — a stick
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wound — an injury
  23. ball — a great time
  24. sharp — with an edge

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