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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 ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. content — the amount
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. craft — boats
  7. net — in sport
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. content — happy
  13. net — for catching
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. court — for sport
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. rest — a break
  18. net — after costs
  19. rest — what's left
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. court — of a king
  22. craft — a skill
  23. court — of law
  24. racket — a loud noise

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