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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: clip · spring · suit · bat · patient · court · board · bay

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. clip — a video
  3. spring — of water
  4. clip — for paper
  5. suit — clothes
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. court — of law
  8. board — to get on
  9. spring — the season
  10. bat — the animal
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. clip — to cut
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. court — for sport
  16. suit — to fit
  17. court — of a king
  18. suit — in cards
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. board — a committee
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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