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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. mate — to breed
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. court — for sport
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. court — of a king
  7. net — in sport
  8. mate — a friend
  9. charge — a price
  10. court — of law
  11. net — after costs
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. mine — for digging
  14. mate — a partner
  15. rash — a series
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. charge — in control
  18. last — to go on
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. last — final
  22. net — for catching
  23. charge — electricity
  24. last — finally

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