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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 120 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 ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. mark — a trace
  7. mark — a grade
  8. court — for sport
  9. rest — what's left
  10. bear — the animal
  11. court — of a king
  12. shower — to wash
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. court — of law
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. rest — a break
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. shower — rain
  21. wound — an injury
  22. chair — a leader
  23. wound — an injury
  24. bear — the animal

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