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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 116 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: club · net · court · patient · charge · rule · row · wound

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. court — for sport
  3. wound — an injury
  4. net — for catching
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. charge — electricity
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. row — to paddle
  10. row — a line
  11. charge — a price
  12. court — of law
  13. wound — an injury
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. club — for golf
  16. charge — in control
  17. rule — a law
  18. net — after costs
  19. rule — government
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. club — a group
  22. court — of a king
  23. net — in sport
  24. row — a quarrel

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