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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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. object — to protest
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. object — an aim
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. date — the fruit
  8. band — a music group
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. band — a ring
  13. deal — to handle
  14. current — of water
  15. court — of a king
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. current — happening now
  19. object — a thing
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. current — electric
  23. court — for sport
  24. deal — a big deal

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