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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 120 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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. court — of a king
  6. key — in music
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. ball — a dance
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. court — for sport
  12. key — the most important part
  13. key — for a lock
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. hand — help
  18. rush — hurry
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. court — of law
  21. ball — a great time
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. hand — in cards

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