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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: court · patient · swing · fine · season · bowl · saw · rush

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. court — of law
  3. saw — the tool
  4. court — for sport
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. rush — hurry
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. swing — to play on
  11. saw — the tool
  12. swing — in golf
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. fine — all right
  17. swing — music
  18. court — of a king
  19. season — of the year
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. fine — high quality
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. bowl — a dish

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