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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.

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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 · file · patient · board · season · swing · racket · can

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. file — a tool
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. season — of the year
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. court — for sport
  8. court — of law
  9. can — to be able to
  10. file — a line of people
  11. court — of a king
  12. board — a committee
  13. board — to get on
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. file — a document
  16. season — in sport
  17. swing — music
  18. swing — to play on
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. can — a tin
  21. swing — in golf
  22. can — a tin
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. patient — a sick person

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