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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 120 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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. court — for sport
  3. court — of law
  4. court — of a king
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. bank — of a river
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. tear — from crying
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. tear — from crying
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. bank — for money
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. bank — for money
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. row — to paddle
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. tear — to rip

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