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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. mate — a partner
  5. ball — a great time
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. court — of a king
  8. row — a line
  9. rash — hasty
  10. court — for sport
  11. cell — a phone
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. court — of law
  14. cell — in biology
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. row — to paddle
  18. ball — a dance
  19. mate — a friend
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. rash — a series
  22. mate — to breed
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. kick — in football

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