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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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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: capital · patient · coach · rule · game · pitcher · court · rush

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  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. patient — a sick person
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. court — for sport
  4. court — of law
  5. rush — hurry
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. capital — money
  8. rule — a law
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. game — wild animals
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. game — a match
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. rule — government
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. capital — a city
  22. court — of a king
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  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