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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.

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: land · season · patient · court · rash · vault · coach · wind

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. season — in sport
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. court — for sport
  7. vault — a safe
  8. wind — moving air
  9. court — of a king
  10. land — ground
  11. season — of the year
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. wind — moving air
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. rash — a series
  20. land — a country
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. court — of law
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. rash — hasty

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