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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. bear — the animal
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. mug — a cup
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. court — for sport
  10. wake — a trail
  11. prune — to trim
  12. mug — to rob
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. court — of a king
  19. prune — to trim
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. kick — in football
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. bear — the animal
  24. mug — a face

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