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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: bore · net · bat · stand · fork · court · patient · jam

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. net — after costs
  6. court — of a king
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. court — of law
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. net — for catching
  12. court — for sport
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. bore — to tire
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. bat — the animal
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. fork — in a road
  22. net — in sport
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. bore — to drill

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