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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 120 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: kid · patient · rush · fine · kick · court · scale · racket

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. court — of a king
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. kick — in football
  6. court — for sport
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. court — of law
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. rush — hurry
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. fine — all right
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. scale — size or range
  17. kid — child
  18. kid — to tease
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. scale — in music
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. racket — a loud noise
  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