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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. wake — a trail
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. court — of a king
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. hand — in cards
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. hand — help
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. game — wild animals
  14. court — for sport
  15. fine — high quality
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. cell — in biology
  19. fine — all right
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. court — of law
  23. cell — a phone
  24. game — a match

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