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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 president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  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. squash — to crush
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. club — for golf
  5. squash — the sport
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. face — to confront
  8. court — of a king
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. club — a group
  11. face — to point toward
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. wound — an injury
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. bark — to shout
  16. face — part of the head
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. court — for sport
  19. club — for dancing
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. wound — an injury
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. bark — of a tree
  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