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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 120 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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. fine — all right
  3. court — of a king
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. court — of law
  8. field — a subject
  9. court — for sport
  10. mark — a trace
  11. spring — the season
  12. field — for sport
  13. spring — of water
  14. fork — in a road
  15. spring — a coil
  16. field — farmland
  17. fine — high quality
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. mark — a grade
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. leaves — of a tree

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