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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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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 · squash · patient · mark · clip · suit · pit · chip

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. suit — clothes
  4. court — for sport
  5. pit — in a race
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. pit — a hole
  8. suit — to fit
  9. chip — for betting
  10. chip — to eat
  11. court — of a king
  12. clip — a video
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. mark — a trace
  16. clip — to cut
  17. suit — in cards
  18. squash — to crush
  19. squash — the sport
  20. mark — a grade
  21. clip — for paper
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  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