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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. court — of a king
  5. wake — a trail
  6. net — after costs
  7. mate — to breed
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. court — of law
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. net — in sport
  12. mate — a friend
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. mate — a partner
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. band — a ring
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. court — for sport
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. net — for catching
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. mine — for digging
  24. band — a music group

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