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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. court — of a king
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. court — of law
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. wound — an injury
  7. fork — in a road
  8. wound — an injury
  9. stem — to come from
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. rash — hasty
  16. court — for sport
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. pop — to visit
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. rash — a series
  23. pop — soda
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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