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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.

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: bass · stock · court · fan · bowl · ruler · patient · cold

  1. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. cold — not warm
  3. stock — goods
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. court — of a king
  8. stock — shares
  9. cold — an illness
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. court — of law
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. bass — the fish
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. court — for sport
  24. bass — low music

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