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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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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: patient · club · bowl · tube · vault · racket · kid · court

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. club — for dancing
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. tube — the underground
  8. kid — child
  9. club — for golf
  10. club — a group
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. tube — a container
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. kid — to tease
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. court — of law
  20. court — of a king
  21. vault — a safe
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. patient — a sick person

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