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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: cold · patient · cabinet · bat · scale · rash · stand · degree

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. stand — to bear
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. degree — temperature
  5. degree — from a university
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. scale — in music
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. cold — an illness
  12. bat — the animal
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. scale — size or range
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. rash — hasty
  20. degree — an amount
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. rash — a series
  24. cold — not warm

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