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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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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: kick · dip · band · chip · fall · squash · patient · court

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. band — a music group
  3. squash — to crush
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. fall — the season
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. fall — to drop
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. band — a ring
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. court — for sport
  15. kick — in football
  16. fall — to drop
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. court — of law
  19. chip — for betting
  20. chip — to eat
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. squash — the sport
  23. dip — to sink
  24. patient — a sick person

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