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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. swing — to play on
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. fine — all right
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. court — of a king
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. swing — music
  10. fine — high quality
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. swing — in golf
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. court — of law
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. court — for sport
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. hide — to keep secret

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