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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: mark · court · mate · pass · hand · patient · staff · degree

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. mate — a partner
  3. degree — temperature
  4. pass — a permit
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. mark — a grade
  7. court — of law
  8. degree — from a university
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. court — for sport
  11. court — of a king
  12. mate — to breed
  13. degree — an amount
  14. mate — a friend
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. hand — help
  17. mark — a trace
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. staff — a stick
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. hand — in cards
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. staff — employees

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