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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 116 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: bass · chair · chip · hide · court · perch · patient · bat

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. court — of law
  7. court — for sport
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. perch — the fish
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. bass — the fish
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. bass — low music
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. chip — to eat
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. chair — a leader
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. bat — the animal
  24. chip — for betting

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