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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. ground — crushed
  3. ball — a great time
  4. content — the amount
  5. ball — a dance
  6. court — of law
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. court — of a king
  10. ground — a position
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. ground — the earth
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. court — for sport
  18. content — happy
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. pass — a permit
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. patient — a sick person

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