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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: court · hand · bay · patient · mouse · ball · chip · stand

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. chip — to eat
  3. hand — help
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. stand — to bear
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. ball — a dance
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. hand — in cards
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. court — for sport
  14. court — of a king
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. court — of law
  24. chip — for betting

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