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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. court — of a king
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. pit — a hole
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. last — final
  7. court — of law
  8. court — for sport
  9. object — to protest
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. pit — in a race
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. fork — in a road
  20. object — an aim
  21. object — a thing
  22. kick — in football
  23. last — to go on
  24. last — finally

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