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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: squash · mate · patient · stick · field · court · charge · firm

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. charge — a price
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. firm — decided
  5. field — a subject
  6. court — of a king
  7. firm — steady
  8. mate — a partner
  9. squash — the sport
  10. mate — a friend
  11. firm — a company
  12. mate — to breed
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. charge — electricity
  16. charge — in control
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. squash — to crush
  19. field — for sport
  20. field — farmland
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. court — for sport
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. court — of law

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