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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. court — of a king
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. rest — what's left
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. rest — a break
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. perch — the fish
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. chair — a leader
  18. rest — what's left
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. court — for sport
  23. rush — hurry
  24. patient — a sick person

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