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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. court — of a king
  3. land — a country
  4. mate — to breed
  5. land — ground
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. tear — to rip
  14. shower — to wash
  15. tear — from crying
  16. bass — the fish
  17. shower — rain
  18. bass — low music
  19. mate — a partner
  20. land — to come down
  21. court — for sport
  22. tear — from crying
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. court — of law

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