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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: foot · patient · tear · court · pass · rule

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. rule — government
  3. pass — a permit
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. tear — from crying
  7. court — of a king
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. rule — a law
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. court — of law
  13. tear — to rip
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. court — for sport
  17. foot — a measure
  18. rule — to rule out

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