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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: rest · patient · court · file · deal · squash · kid · chest

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. kid — to tease
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. rest — what's left
  5. court — of law
  6. court — for sport
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. squash — the sport
  9. file — a document
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. kid — child
  12. file — a line of people
  13. deal — to handle
  14. rest — a break
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. chest — of your body
  17. rest — what's left
  18. chest — of your body
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. court — of a king
  21. squash — to crush
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. file — a tool
  24. chest — a box

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