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

Word bank: race · march · patient · cap · kick · court

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. court — of a king
  3. race — the arms race
  4. court — of law
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. cap — of ice
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. march — the month
  10. cap — a lid
  11. march — music
  12. court — for sport
  13. race — humankind
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. cap — a hat
  16. kick — in football
  17. race — a contest
  18. march — the month

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