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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.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. court — of a king
  5. court — for sport
  6. court — of law
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. scale — size or range
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. land — a country
  15. scale — in music
  16. land — to come down
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. bay — to keep at bay

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