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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: rock · suit · club · cold · season · patient · court · arm

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. season — in sport
  3. club — a group
  4. court — for sport
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. cold — not warm
  7. club — for dancing
  8. rock — music
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. cold — an illness
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. court — of law
  14. court — of a king
  15. rock — a stone
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. suit — clothes
  21. season — of the year
  22. suit — in cards
  23. club — for golf
  24. suit — to fit

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