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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: wound · last · sharp · game · spell · patient · ground · mark

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. spell — letters
  3. sharp — clever
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. spell — magic
  6. mark — a trace
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. last — final
  9. last — finally
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. ground — the earth
  12. ground — crushed
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wound — an injury
  16. ground — a position
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. mark — a grade
  19. game — a match
  20. last — to go on
  21. game — wild animals
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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