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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 cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. court — of law
  3. suit — in cards
  4. content — happy
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. scale — size or range
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. suit — to fit
  11. content — the amount
  12. scale — in music
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. mug — a face
  15. clip — to cut
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. clip — for paper
  18. mug — to rob
  19. court — of a king
  20. branch — a division
  21. court — for sport
  22. clip — a video
  23. mug — a cup
  24. branch — of a bank

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