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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: press · court · patient · dip · tube · stock · ball · staff

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. press — a publisher
  4. court — of a king
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. dip — to sink
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. court — of law
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. press — newspapers
  12. court — for sport
  13. tube — the underground
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. ball — a great time
  16. stock — goods
  17. staff — employees
  18. staff — employees
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. press — to push
  21. tube — a container
  22. stock — shares
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. staff — a stick

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