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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. fine — high quality
  3. court — of a king
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. last — final
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. pop — music
  8. pop — soda
  9. fine — all right
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. court — of law
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. shower — to wash
  15. snap — to click
  16. shower — rain
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. pop — to visit
  19. last — finally
  20. bank — for money
  21. bank — of a river
  22. bank — for money
  23. last — to go on
  24. court — for sport

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