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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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. rash — a series
  3. march — the month
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. craft — boats
  6. court — of a king
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. court — of law
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. tube — the underground
  11. swing — to play on
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. march — the month
  14. craft — a skill
  15. swing — music
  16. tube — a container
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. rash — hasty
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. swing — in golf
  21. march — music
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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