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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. court — for sport
  5. ground — a position
  6. court — of a king
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. wake — a trail
  13. wound — an injury
  14. ground — crushed
  15. court — of law
  16. key — in music
  17. key — the most important part
  18. wound — an injury
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. ground — the earth
  21. key — for a lock
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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