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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. content — the amount
  4. mine — for digging
  5. pop — soda
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. wake — a trail
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. pop — music
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. court — for sport
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. pop — to visit
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. rule — a law
  19. content — happy
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. court — of law
  23. rule — government
  24. court — of a king

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