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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: clip · saw · court · fine · patient · kid · pass · can

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. can — a tin
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. clip — for paper
  5. fine — all right
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. court — of a king
  8. can — to be able to
  9. court — of law
  10. saw — the tool
  11. kid — child
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. saw — the tool
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. can — a tin
  18. fine — high quality
  19. clip — a video
  20. kid — to tease
  21. pass — a permit
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. court — for sport

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