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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 ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. wind — moving air
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. club — for golf
  6. court — of law
  7. squash — to crush
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. season — of the year
  10. court — of a king
  11. season — in sport
  12. club — for dancing
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. squash — the sport
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. club — a group
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. court — for sport
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. wind — moving air

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