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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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. rock — music
  3. pop — soda
  4. pop — to visit
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. rock — a stone
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. court — for sport
  10. court — of a king
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. pop — music
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. sharp — clever
  21. court — of law
  22. date — the fruit
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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