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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. club — for dancing
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. club — a group
  7. bass — low music
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. tube — the underground
  10. court — of law
  11. bass — the fish
  12. drill — the tool
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. club — for golf
  15. tube — a container
  16. toast — bread
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. drill — army training
  19. court — for sport
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. drill — a practice
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. hide — animal skin

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