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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 120 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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. cell — in biology
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. court — of a king
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. drill — the tool
  8. cell — a phone
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. court — for sport
  16. bat — the animal
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. drill — a practice
  23. drill — army training
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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