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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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. drill — army training
  7. court — for sport
  8. season — of the year
  9. court — of a king
  10. perch — the fish
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. season — in sport
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. court — of law
  19. drill — the tool
  20. drill — a practice
  21. tube — the underground
  22. tube — a container
  23. ball — a great time
  24. ball — a dance

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