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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: rest · sharp · patient · court · ground · swing · mouse · pitch

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  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. rest — what's left
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. court — for sport
  6. ground — crushed
  7. court — of a king
  8. swing — music
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. rest — a break
  11. sharp — clever
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. swing — to play on
  14. rest — what's left
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. ground — a position
  17. swing — in golf
  18. ground — the earth
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. pitch — completely
  23. court — of law
  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