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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. file — a tool
  4. cue — a signal
  5. file — a document
  6. bank — of a river
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. squash — to crush
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. court — of law
  12. bank — for money
  13. sharp — clever
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. cue — a hint
  17. court — for sport
  18. squash — the sport
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. bank — for money
  22. cue — for pool
  23. file — a line of people
  24. patient — a sick person

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