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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 116 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: net · court · squash · pound · bore · rush · patient · present

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. present — the time now
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. present — there
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. net — in sport
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. rush — hurry
  10. present — a gift
  11. squash — to crush
  12. court — of a king
  13. squash — the sport
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. pound — a weight
  16. bore — to tire
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. court — of law
  19. bore — to drill
  20. net — for catching
  21. court — for sport
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. rush — a thrill

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