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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. court — of law
  5. cell — in biology
  6. net — in sport
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. court — for sport
  10. court — of a king
  11. date — the fruit
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. net — for catching
  17. bore — to drill
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. toast — bread
  22. cell — a phone
  23. bore — to tire
  24. patient — a sick person

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