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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: game · patient · march · fork · mine · ball · court · charge

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. march — music
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. ball — a great time
  5. court — of a king
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. court — of law
  9. game — a match
  10. court — for sport
  11. ball — a dance
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. march — the month
  14. charge — electricity
  15. march — the month
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. game — wild animals
  19. charge — in control
  20. fork — in a road
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. mine — for digging
  24. charge — a price

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