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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: snap · mark · pitcher · patient · scale · cap · wind · court

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. court — of law
  4. cap — a lid
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. court — for sport
  8. scale — in music
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. mark — a grade
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wind — moving air
  14. mark — a trace
  15. court — of a king
  16. snap — to click
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. cap — of ice
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. cap — a hat
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. scale — for weighing
  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