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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. content — happy
  4. court — for sport
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. prune — to trim
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. cap — a lid
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. court — of law
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. court — of a king
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. cap — of ice
  17. cap — a hat
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. prune — to trim
  21. fall — to drop
  22. fall — to drop
  23. content — the amount
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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