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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: pop · court · club · patient · rule · squash · wave · capital

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. club — for dancing
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. court — of a king
  7. pop — music
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. squash — to crush
  10. club — a group
  11. capital — money
  12. court — for sport
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. capital — a city
  15. pop — soda
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. club — for golf
  18. court — of law
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. pop — to visit
  22. rule — government
  23. squash — the sport
  24. capital — a big letter

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