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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: scale · season · roll · chest · court · board · fine · patient

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. fine — all right
  3. roll — a list
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. court — of a king
  7. scale — size or range
  8. court — for sport
  9. board — a committee
  10. season — in sport
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. chest — of your body
  14. chest — a box
  15. court — of law
  16. chest — of your body
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. season — of the year
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. board — to get on
  22. scale — in music
  23. roll — a cake
  24. fine — high quality

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