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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. spring — of water
  4. net — for catching
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. court — of a king
  7. spring — the season
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. staff — employees
  10. charge — a price
  11. charge — electricity
  12. sharp — clever
  13. staff — a stick
  14. net — after costs
  15. drill — army training
  16. court — for sport
  17. staff — employees
  18. drill — a practice
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. court — of law
  21. drill — the tool
  22. spring — a coil
  23. charge — in control
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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