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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. spring — a coil
  3. court — of a king
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. perch — the fish
  7. spring — the season
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. court — of law
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. scale — in music
  13. land — a country
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. scale — size or range
  16. land — ground
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. court — for sport
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. land — to come down
  22. spring — of water
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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