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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. mine — for digging
  3. tear — from crying
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. cue — for pool
  7. current — happening now
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. current — of water
  10. current — electric
  11. court — for sport
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. tear — from crying
  14. cue — a signal
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. tear — to rip
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. snap — to click
  23. cue — a hint
  24. court — of a king

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