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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: racket · spell · content · rule · pitcher · staff · patient · court

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. spell — magic
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. rule — government
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. spell — letters
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. court — for sport
  13. staff — employees
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. court — of a king
  16. court — of law
  17. staff — a stick
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. spell — a short time
  20. content — happy
  21. staff — employees
  22. rule — a law
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. content — the amount

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