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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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. drill — army training
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. court — of law
  12. mine — for digging
  13. drill — a practice
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. court — of a king
  19. toast — bread
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. drill — the tool
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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