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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. court — of a king
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. court — for sport
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. rule — government
  12. pop — soda
  13. scale — size or range
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. pop — music
  16. date — the fruit
  17. bark — to shout
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. rush — hurry
  20. scale — in music
  21. pop — to visit
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. rule — a law

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