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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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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. 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. current — happening now
  2. chest — a box
  3. court — of a king
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. court — of law
  6. chest — of your body
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. current — of water
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. wake — a trail
  11. current — electric
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. chest — of your body
  14. game — wild animals
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. court — for sport
  17. game — a match
  18. 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