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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: patient · court · board · bass · mark · dip

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. bass — the fish
  3. mark — a grade
  4. board — to get on
  5. court — of a king
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. bass — low music
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. court — of law
  12. court — for sport
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. board — a committee
  17. dip — to sink
  18. mark — a trace

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