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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: rash · patient · stock · court · pound · perch · pit · squash

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. rash — a series
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. pound — a weight
  6. court — for sport
  7. rash — hasty
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. pit — in a race
  12. squash — to crush
  13. court — of law
  14. squash — the sport
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. stock — shares
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. pit — a hole
  22. perch — the fish
  23. stock — goods
  24. pound — to hit hard

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