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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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. court — of a king
  3. object — to protest
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. foot — a measure
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. scale — in music
  8. net — in sport
  9. cell — a phone
  10. rest — a break
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. court — for sport
  13. net — after costs
  14. court — of law
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. scale — size or range
  18. object — a thing
  19. cell — in biology
  20. rest — what's left
  21. object — an aim
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. net — for catching
  24. rest — what's left

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