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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. cue — a hint
  11. foot — a measure
  12. rash — hasty
  13. cue — a signal
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. content — happy
  16. content — the amount
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. court — of law
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. rash — a series
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. court — of a king
  24. cue — for pool

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