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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: court · patient · hand · swing · rash · kid · wake · calf

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. rash — hasty
  3. kid — to tease
  4. kid — child
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. wake — a trail
  7. court — of a king
  8. swing — to play on
  9. swing — music
  10. court — of law
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. court — for sport
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. hand — in cards
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. rash — a series
  24. hand — help

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