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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. court — of a king
  3. prune — to trim
  4. swing — music
  5. drill — a practice
  6. swing — to play on
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. court — for sport
  10. swing — in golf
  11. drill — the tool
  12. mark — a trace
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. mark — a grade
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. drill — army training
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. prune — to trim
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. court — of law

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