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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. cell — a phone
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. cell — in biology
  5. swing — in golf
  6. bark — to shout
  7. court — for sport
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. face — to confront
  11. face — to point toward
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. swing — music
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. court — of law
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. face — part of the head
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. swing — to play on
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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