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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 116 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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. mark — a grade
  3. mark — a trace
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. kick — in football
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. pop — to visit
  9. court — of a king
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. pop — music
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. key — the most important part
  17. court — for sport
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. key — in music
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. court — of law
  23. bat — the animal
  24. key — for a lock

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