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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. court — of law
  5. can — a tin
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. ground — a position
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. spell — letters
  13. court — for sport
  14. lean — thin
  15. ground — the earth
  16. ground — crushed
  17. spell — a short time
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. foot — a measure
  20. lean — to bend
  21. can — a tin
  22. can — to be able to
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. spell — magic

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