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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. foot — a measure
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. track — a song
  5. court — of a king
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. mate — a partner
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. rock — music
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. rock — a stone
  15. track — to keep track
  16. track — a path
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. mate — a friend
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. court — of law
  24. mate — to breed

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