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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.

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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: patient · nail · court · file · season · bowl · foot · stock

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. file — a document
  5. stock — shares
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. file — a line of people
  9. court — of a king
  10. file — a tool
  11. season — of the year
  12. court — of law
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. stock — goods
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. foot — a measure
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. court — for sport
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. season — in sport

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