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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. file — a line of people
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. pit — a hole
  6. file — a tool
  7. file — a document
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. court — for sport
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. bore — to tire
  12. court — of a king
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. bore — to drill
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. pit — in a race
  17. perch — the fish
  18. squash — the sport
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. squash — to crush
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. patient — a sick person

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