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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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. pit — a hole
  3. saw — the tool
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. saw — the tool
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. court — of law
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. pit — in a race
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. court — for sport
  17. pass — a permit
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. rash — hasty
  21. court — of a king
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. dip — to sink

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