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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 · patient · pitch · rash · court · hide · pop · rock

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. court — of law
  4. pitch — completely
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. scale — size or range
  7. pop — soda
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. rock — music
  11. court — for sport
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. scale — in music
  17. rock — a stone
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. court — of a king
  22. rash — a series
  23. pop — music
  24. pop — to visit

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