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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: spell · rock · kid · squash · court · last · press · patient

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. spell — magic
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. court — of a king
  5. rock — music
  6. rock — a stone
  7. press — newspapers
  8. spell — letters
  9. last — final
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. spell — a short time
  12. press — to push
  13. press — a publisher
  14. kid — to tease
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. squash — the sport
  17. squash — to crush
  18. court — for sport
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. kid — child
  21. last — to go on
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. last — finally
  24. court — of law

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