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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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. bore — to drill
  5. court — of a king
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. file — a line of people
  10. perch — the fish
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. suit — to fit
  14. bore — to tire
  15. game — wild animals
  16. suit — in cards
  17. file — a tool
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. file — a document
  21. game — a match
  22. court — for sport
  23. court — of law
  24. suit — clothes

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