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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 116 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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. capital — money
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. court — of law
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. court — for sport
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. season — of the year
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. ball — a dance
  15. capital — a city
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. court — of a king
  20. ball — a great time
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. season — in sport
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. lash — to lash out

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