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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.

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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 · bowl · pass · march · object · patient · file · fork

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. court — for sport
  3. file — a tool
  4. object — to protest
  5. pass — a permit
  6. march — the month
  7. object — an aim
  8. march — the month
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. court — of a king
  11. fork — in a road
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. object — a thing
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. file — a document
  18. file — a line of people
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. court — of law
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. march — music
  24. fork — to eat with

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