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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.

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: sharp · fine · capital · deal · clip · firm · patient · perch

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  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. sharp — exactly
  2. clip — a video
  3. fine — all right
  4. firm — decided
  5. sharp — clever
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. clip — to cut
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. firm — a company
  15. capital — money
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. perch — the fish
  18. firm — steady
  19. fine — high quality
  20. capital — a city
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. deal — to handle
  23. clip — for paper
  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