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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. court — of a king
  3. scale — in music
  4. court — of law
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. game — a match
  7. pass — a permit
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. rock — a stone
  12. mark — a trace
  13. game — wild animals
  14. rock — music
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. mark — a grade
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. bound — certain
  20. bound — obliged
  21. scale — size or range
  22. bound — tied together
  23. court — for sport
  24. pass — to spend time

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