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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. drill — the tool
  3. court — for sport
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. rule — government
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. perch — the fish
  10. row — a line
  11. court — of law
  12. rule — a law
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. drill — army training
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. row — to paddle
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. drill — a practice
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. rule — to rule 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