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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. scale — in music
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. hand — help
  5. court — of a king
  6. rush — hurry
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. tube — a container
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. wound — an injury
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. wound — an injury
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. hand — in cards
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. tube — the underground
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. court — for sport
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. scale — size or range

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