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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. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. march — music
  4. swing — music
  5. swing — to play on
  6. mark — a grade
  7. spell — letters
  8. object — to protest
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. object — a thing
  11. rest — a break
  12. mark — a trace
  13. spell — magic
  14. swing — in golf
  15. rest — what's left
  16. object — an aim
  17. march — the month
  18. court — of a king
  19. court — for sport
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. spell — a short time
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. rest — what's left
  24. march — the month

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