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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: pound · hand · court · sharp · mug · present · bore · patient

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. present — the time now
  4. court — for sport
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. court — of a king
  7. sharp — clever
  8. mug — a cup
  9. present — a gift
  10. hand — help
  11. hand — in cards
  12. present — there
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. bore — to tire
  15. mug — a face
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. mug — to rob
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. bore — to drill
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. court — of law
  23. pound — a weight
  24. sharp — exactly

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