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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. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. vault — a safe
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. march — the month
  7. court — of a king
  8. mate — a partner
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. court — of law
  11. court — for sport
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. mate — to breed
  14. content — happy
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. mate — a friend
  19. march — music
  20. march — the month
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. content — the amount
  23. row — to paddle
  24. row — a line

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