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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 ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. clip — a video
  3. court — of law
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. season — of the year
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. rash — a series
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. rash — hasty
  10. court — of a king
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. plane — a tool
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. season — in sport
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. clip — to cut
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. clip — for paper
  21. fork — in a road
  22. court — for sport
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. fork — a garden tool

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