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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  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. season — in sport
  2. cell — a phone
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. court — for sport
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. cell — in biology
  9. season — of the year
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. perch — the fish
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. row — to paddle
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. row — a line
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. court — of a king
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. kick — in football
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. kick — with a leg
  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