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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
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: court · present · rash · patient · chest · pass · spell · mouse

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. rash — a series
  3. spell — magic
  4. court — for sport
  5. chest — of your body
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. rash — hasty
  9. chest — a box
  10. present — a gift
  11. spell — letters
  12. chest — of your body
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. court — of a king
  15. court — of law
  16. pass — a permit
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. spell — a short time
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. present — there

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