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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. court — of a king
  3. mark — a trace
  4. court — for sport
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. mark — a grade
  7. rush — hurry
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. current — electric
  10. current — of water
  11. current — happening now
  12. field — for sport
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. field — farmland
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. capital — a city
  18. field — a subject
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. court — of law
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. capital — money
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. capital — a big letter

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