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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.

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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: patient · clip · court · stick · rash · ball · current · bore

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. court — for sport
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. court — of a king
  5. bore — to tire
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. rash — a series
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. court — of law
  10. ball — a dance
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. bore — to drill
  13. current — of water
  14. current — electric
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. clip — to cut
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. current — happening now
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. clip — for paper
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. clip — a video
  23. ball — a great time
  24. rash — hasty

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