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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. wind — moving air
  3. stand — to bear
  4. court — of a king
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. wind — moving air
  8. clip — to cut
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. bore — to drill
  14. fine — all right
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. court — for sport
  17. fine — high quality
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. bore — to tire
  21. court — of law
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. clip — a video
  24. patient — a sick person

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