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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. clip — to cut
  4. shower — to wash
  5. saw — the tool
  6. saw — the tool
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. court — of law
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. pass — a permit
  13. clip — for paper
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. pound — a weight
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. clip — a video
  19. court — of a king
  20. court — for sport
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. shower — rain

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