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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 116 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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: pitch · patient · mug · object · squash · scale · court · cold

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. court — of law
  3. scale — in music
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. mug — to rob
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. squash — the sport
  9. object — to protest
  10. object — a thing
  11. cold — not warm
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. object — an aim
  14. cold — an illness
  15. mug — a face
  16. court — of a king
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. mug — a cup
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. squash — to crush
  22. court — for sport
  23. scale — size or range
  24. squash — the vegetable

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