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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: pit · craft · file · patient · court · bear · rule · mine

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. pit — a hole
  3. court — for sport
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. bear — the animal
  7. craft — a skill
  8. file — a document
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. mine — for digging
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. pit — in a race
  14. court — of law
  15. file — a line of people
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. court — of a king
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. file — a tool
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. rule — government
  22. craft — boats
  23. rule — a law
  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