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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 lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. court — for sport
  4. court — of a king
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. mate — to breed
  7. chest — of your body
  8. content — the amount
  9. chest — of your body
  10. can — to be able to
  11. content — happy
  12. can — a tin
  13. club — a group
  14. court — of law
  15. club — for dancing
  16. game — a match
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. mate — a friend
  19. mate — a partner
  20. game — wild animals
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. club — for golf
  23. can — a tin
  24. content — videos and posts

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