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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. court — of a king
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. mate — a friend
  7. court — of law
  8. row — a line
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. snap — to click
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. row — to paddle
  18. rash — a series
  19. rash — hasty
  20. mate — a partner
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. court — for sport

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