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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · spring · coach · fork · content · patient · foot · mouse

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. court — for sport
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. spring — a coil
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. content — happy
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. foot — a measure
  19. spring — the season
  20. court — of law
  21. content — the amount
  22. court — of a king
  23. spring — of water
  24. fork — in a road

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