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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. content — the amount
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. court — of law
  7. mark — a trace
  8. wake — a trail
  9. wind — moving air
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. court — of a king
  15. mark — a grade
  16. land — to come down
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. land — a country
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. wind — moving air
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. land — ground
  24. content — happy

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