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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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. net — after costs
  3. club — for golf
  4. face — to point toward
  5. cue — a signal
  6. club — a group
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. court — of law
  9. face — to confront
  10. face — part of the head
  11. cue — for pool
  12. bear — the animal
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. net — for catching
  15. court — of a king
  16. net — in sport
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. club — for dancing
  23. bear — the animal
  24. cue — a hint

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