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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 nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. mate — to breed
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. net — for catching
  6. net — in sport
  7. mate — a friend
  8. court — of a king
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. net — after costs
  12. court — of law
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. rule — government
  15. mate — a partner
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. game — wild animals
  18. game — a match
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. wax — to grow
  22. rule — a law
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. leaves — lets stay

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