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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.

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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 · wake · chair · drill · sharp · firm · band · court

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. drill — a practice
  3. band — a music group
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. firm — steady
  6. court — of a king
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. court — of law
  9. band — a ring
  10. drill — army training
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. court — for sport
  14. wake — a trail
  15. drill — the tool
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. firm — decided
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. firm — a company
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. sharp — clever

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