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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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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: squash · patient · court · wind · snap · club · fan · racket

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. court — of law
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. court — of a king
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. club — for dancing
  9. court — for sport
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. squash — the sport
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. wind — moving air
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. snap — to click
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. club — for golf
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. squash — to crush
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. wind — moving air

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