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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.

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: court · bass · cap · cue · patient · degree · charge · lean

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. cue — a signal
  3. cap — a hat
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. degree — from a university
  6. court — of a king
  7. court — of law
  8. cap — a lid
  9. bass — the fish
  10. charge — a price
  11. degree — temperature
  12. cue — a hint
  13. bass — low music
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. charge — in control
  17. lean — to bend
  18. lean — thin
  19. cue — for pool
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. degree — an amount
  22. court — for sport
  23. charge — electricity
  24. bass — the instrument

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