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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. content — happy
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. cap — a hat
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. court — for sport
  9. court — of a king
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. court — of law
  12. stock — shares
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. ball — a dance
  17. cap — a lid
  18. stock — goods
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. ball — a great time
  21. cap — of ice
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. content — the amount

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