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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 ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  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. patient — a sick person
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. saw — the tool
  4. court — of a king
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. snap — to click
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. mate — to breed
  10. swing — music
  11. capital — money
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. swing — to play on
  15. mate — a partner
  16. swing — in golf
  17. court — for sport
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. mate — a friend
  20. saw — the tool
  21. capital — a city
  22. court — of law
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  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