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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 116 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: patient · sharp · land · fine · suit · chip · cap · bat

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. cap — a hat
  3. sharp — clever
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. land — a country
  6. chip — to eat
  7. fine — all right
  8. suit — in cards
  9. fine — high quality
  10. land — to come down
  11. suit — clothes
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. suit — to fit
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. cap — of ice
  17. cap — a lid
  18. bat — the animal
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. chip — for betting

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