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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 124 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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. court — of law
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. tube — the underground
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. date — the fruit
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. tube — a container
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. court — for sport
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. court — of a king
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. chair — a leader

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