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

Word bank: swing · rule · patient · rash · vault · racket

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. swing — to play on
  9. vault — a safe
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. rash — a series
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. swing — music
  15. swing — in golf
  16. rash — hasty
  17. rule — a law
  18. 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