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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 116 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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. spring — the season
  4. spring — a coil
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. court — of a king
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. stand — to bear
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. bat — the animal
  16. mug — a face
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. fork — in a road
  20. mug — to rob
  21. court — of law
  22. spring — of water
  23. mug — a cup
  24. fork — to eat with

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