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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. swing — in golf
  4. court — of a king
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. stem — to come from
  8. firm — decided
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. court — of law
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. firm — steady
  13. vault — a safe
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. firm — a company
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. swing — to play on
  19. swing — music
  20. saw — the tool
  21. saw — the tool
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. court — for sport

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