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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. mug — to rob
  3. cue — for pool
  4. net — after costs
  5. object — to protest
  6. band — a ring
  7. band — a music group
  8. mug — a face
  9. cue — a signal
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. net — in sport
  13. mug — a cup
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. spring — of water
  17. court — for sport
  18. object — a thing
  19. object — an aim
  20. cue — a hint
  21. net — for catching
  22. court — of law
  23. spring — a coil
  24. spring — the season

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